Who Has Ever Written a Book or a Play,or Produced a Movie?

[RichZ]

I've written several non-fiction books on contract for organizations in the fishing how-to field. None of those organizations is still in business, as the mass market in my field has evolved to video and online. The last one I wrote was the 2nd best selling title among the more than 100 books its publisher had put out. Fortunately for me, not too long after writing it, the publisher changed their rules for contract authors, and allowed us to buy copies at an attractive price for resale. Over the course of 5 years or so, I more than tripled what I'd made on the original contract. When they were liquidating, I bought back the rights to that book from them for a song. (really, a token amount). I sat on it for nearly a decade, and now I'm rewriting and updating it, and much of the material will be included in a new, more comprehensive book. My prospective publisher had hoped to have a completed manuscript this fall, and I had all intentions of devoting my recovery period following surgery to rewriting the existing book. Unfortunately, my ambition level during recovery was pretty much non-existent. I didn't even start to make any post-surgical headway on the project until two weeks ago.

I need to finish this one, because I have a work of fiction in my brain that desperately wants out.

 

[husky8273]

my Kiddie Lit play about the personification of soiled laundry was selected and presented to the class

 

[upstater]

@upstater wrote one a billion years ago.

Haha, yes. I've written a few more actually. But more into short stories now.

What is one of my plots? I try to write the most outlandish plots I can so I can ignore them and focus on what I care about. For instance, an alien (who travels the universe through sound waves) abducts a woman and transports her back to his planet because he likes her voice. That's how it ends anyway.

I was asked to write about Buffalo in a short story, so I wrote a comic detective story about a guy down the street who has been blowing bubbles out his 3rd story window (he uses a fan). He's been doing it for over 25 years. In the story he ends up dead. Some people around town told me they were not happy I did that. He was still blowing bubbles this morning.

 

[upstater]

Publishing is tough, fickle, painfully slow and always chasing trends... and sadly good reviews are no guarantee that you'll get another book published. Stay inspired and keep at it.

Oh so much of this is so true. For 5 years I was one of 5 judges for a $100k fiction prize, and the novels were all not yet released. Inevitably, each year, the books would arrive and I'd see half of them would have the exact same theme. Religious novels one year. Trailer park novels another year. I'd sometimes get rejections that would read, "Caribbean novels are really popular this year..." Wish I'd known 3 years ago when I started this!

I have a friend whose first novel was fought over during a span of 2 days after mailing by editors at 6 different major houses, only to see all 6 houses reject the novel after the marketing team nixed it (marketers have more power than editors). She ended up publishing the book with a smaller house, McSweeney's. I'm always amused at these stories.

 

[uchusky32]

Haha, yes. I've written a few more actually. But more into short stories now.

What is one of my plots? I try to write the most outlandish plots I can so I can ignore them and focus on what I care about. For instance, an alien (who travels the universe through sound waves) abducts a woman and transports her back to his planet because he likes her voice. That's how it ends anyway.

I was asked to write about Buffalo in a short story, so I wrote a comic detective story about a guy down the street who has been blowing bubbles out his 3rd story window (he uses a fan). He's been doing it for over 25 years. In the story he ends up dead. Some people around town told me they were not happy I did that. He was still blowing bubbles this morning.

Hmm, focus on what I care about? Abducting women and guy ends up dead.

You might want to focus on other things upstater!

 

[storrsroars]

While I won three industry-specific advertising awards for concept/copywriting and once had the leading blog in my field, I never had the patience for long form. However, in 9th grade I took over a play about the 25th anniversary of our school (Dolan Jr High) by selling the idea of breaking the boring story up by interspersing commercials, a la Art Fern (Johnny Carson character), which I wrote and performed in.

It included such gems as, "Visine, it gets the red out. And if your eyes are blue, it gets the blue out..."

And this is why Letterman's team never returned any of my inquiries about writing for them.

 

[upstater]

Hmm, focus on what I care about? Abducting women and guy ends up dead.

You might want to focus on other things upstater!

Uh, lol, that's the plot. What I don't care about.

 

[FatElvis]

I've written some non-fiction. Been on best seller lists.

I had a 40 year career writing advertising. Many, many TV commercials, print ads, web stuff, movie theater spots, etc.

I can't help but wonder if we've ever crossed paths. Been a writer in the ad world myself for many years. Any chance you work/live in NYC?

 

[Madmannsucks]

That was your movie, play, or book?

At a real university or an unnamed one?

That was for us older fans. 2 out of every 3 letters to Penthouse started like that.

 

[Sphinx]

I have used Amazon Createspace and KDP to self-publish five books of original short sayings (aphorisms). No best sellers but just over 2300 paperback copies sold in six years, some 400 in Europe and Asia. How does a guy named Bob in Connecticut attract a worldwide readership? Someone would have to ask.

 

[Lefty2one]

I had no idea we had so many writers on the BY. Having a career in writing has always been my dream yet somehow I ended up at the far opposite end of the spectrum, working in IT. Whatever pays the bills.

Those with experience in technical writing, any advice on how you got started?

 

[Tenspro2002]

I had no idea we had so many writers on the BY. Having a career in writing has always been my dream yet somehow I ended up at the far opposite end of the spectrum, working in IT. Whatever pays the bills.

Those with experience in technical writing, any advice on how you got started?

My wife is a technical writer for a fintech company.

Her background was in science writing (BA/BS in English and Biology, MA in Science Writing), but after years of working for non-profits and being treated like ____ and woefully underpaid, she applied for this job. It used a lot of the same skills, with emphasis on technical accuracy and consistency. She's basically in charge of the help system for one of the company's products now.

Coming from IT would actually give you a leg up in any kind of software technical writing, since you probably understand the code better than most writers. Demonstrating your writing capabilities might not be as straightforward in an interview, but if you've ever documented anything, that would help. I'm pretty sure my wife's company has hired writers from an array of background, both "softer" (more writing-oriented) and "harder" (more technically-oriented).

 

[Fishy]

I craft small artisanal works dedicated mostly to UConn basketball that are occasionally well-received.

 

[borninansonia]

I had no idea we had so many writers on the BY. Having a career in writing has always been my dream yet somehow I ended up at the far opposite end of the spectrum, working in IT. Whatever pays the bills.

Those with experience in technical writing, any advice on how you got started?

My approach has been to find an unfilled need, research it extensively, find a solution to the need and write about it.
Unfilled need -few people knew how to balance (micronutrients) fresh food (such as raw) diets for dogs. After years of research and analyses, I wrote Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet, published by Dogwise, about balancing fresh food canine diets. I made some money on the book, perhaps $3/hr, but my consulting increased a lot. Best investment I made in myself since college, well, perhaps ever.

 

[CL82]

Tim won’t let me post videos. Something about the sponsors. It’s called “Recruiting Hard!”! It was part of the Grind and was over 20 minutes. But take it with a grain of salt. .

Tim?

 

[sirjames]

I just finished a fiction novel first draft and I’m refining it now. It’s a thriller - commercial fiction.

 

[TXHuskyFan]

That was for us older fans. 2 out of every 3 letters to Penthouse started like that.

Can’t believe that needed to be explained.

 

[uchusky32]

Tim?

Big thumbs?

 

[Improviser]

Big thumbs?

Online college reunion or old band member reunion?

 

[M.S.G.]

My senior thesis on "The Political & Racial Rhetoric within Chappelle's Show" received an award at the end of year department banquet.

 

[B1GEast]

I working on a mini series novel.

 

[tzznandrew]

I have a chapbook of poems coming out this winter and am working with a publisher for a longer collection.

 

[upstater]

I have a chapbook of poems coming out this winter and am working with a publisher for a longer collection.

PM me when they're out

 

[XLCenterFan]

I'm considering writing a book on the process of Primary elections. The outline would be a combination of anecdotal stories of a wild Primary race that I just worked on, with parts/sections that also factually explain the Primary/electoral process. It would be like a front row seat to a campaign plus the educational element. I imagine it being worthwhile for Political Science or Public Policy (my major) college classes, and would also entertain readers who enjoy political insight, strategy, and shenanigans. I'm like ten pages into writing it but will likely not finish for awhile (if at all). Writing a book is hard.