When they told you that you could do anything and be anything if you are dedicated and keep working towards it?
Well, they were right!
So much in the world of writing has changed in the last couple handfulls of years, and I only see more transformation.
When I first started focusing on writing as a career, it was much more difficult to "make it." For two years I trudged through assignments that paid little to nothing, wrote about things I couldn't care less about, and beg and fight for my place in the crowd. I basically had to work my way up the ladder. Now it's much more commonplace to see "remote," "telecommute" and "work from home" when searching writing job boards, and companies are paying significantly higher rates.
After a while I was making all of my income from writing, and for some time I was happy with that.
Then, one day in May 2017 while meandering the job boards, I came across an ad for a game writer. The title piqued my interest so I clicked on it to learn more.
A company was searching for a fiction writer to help develop video games. One of the skills listed was "World Creator."
Now that grabbed me. Interesting they should say they wanted a world creator. That was actually what my friends considered me as!
To apply I had to send in 5 pages of dialogue with my CV. So I did. Two weeks later I received an email stating that I wrote too much to be considered for the position, but I could re-apply in one year.
I asked them what they meant by wrote too much. They said my writing style was great for novels, not so much for the average gamer who wants to hurry and read so they can get on with the action.
I could do that! I had been learning to condense my writing for the web. Unfortunately I couldn't do it for that company for at least a year, so I looked elsewhere, determined to land a gig in the gaming field.
I found two gigs. One required relocation across the country, which I was not in a position for at the time, and the other required relocation to a whole other county.
I kept searching, daily. I would find an opening about every 3 months, but they all required gaming degrees or job experience- neither of which I had.
By the time November was finishing up I was frustrated by the lack of prospects. So I decided I would write my own game! I learned about Interactive Fiction gaming and studied platforms. My experience teaching students to write and publish Choose Your Own Adventure books already had me thinking in non-linear ways. This would be epic! And it would give what few potential employers there were something solid to reference.
I already had the guts of a story so I adapted it to fit the IF format over the next few months. I was also searching for a graphic artist who would contract with me for part of the earnings as I did not have the cash flow to pay upfront.
I couldn't find someone so I enrolled in classes to learn to do it all myself. I knew this would be a grand undertaking, but I was determined. Game writing was definitely for me!
Then, suddenly, I saw an explosion of game studios searching for a game writer! Just recently! It's as if the floodgates suddenly opened! From only two or three a month hiring to two or three a day!
I sent my CV far and wide and quickly found a startup in California where I created my first game in May. That led to a contract with a larger studio in October.
I am now a (very busy) Game narration Designer, and I am finally creating the game I want.
I didn't give up. That's the thing- you cannot give up. And you have to be willing to compromise as things will not always go as you envision them. But if you nurture an open mind and keep making strides toward your goal, you will achieve it!
There's no way you can't :)
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I read this blog after I discovered "How Will Your Audience Find You?" That post was thirteen days old so I couldn't upvote it. Not wanting to comment without upvoting, I came here. I have duly upvoted this post, but would truly like to comment on the other, if that's OK.
At my age, I no longer worry if I can do it --I just go ahead and do it. But finding an audience, and finding a niche--that's an interesting concept for me. I think I've been avoiding a niche my whole life, and this seems to be true in writing.
I've worked at many jobs, most of them weren't very enjoyable. I spent time, precious time. The best of me was not expressed in that work. But writing is different. I love to write. The best of me, whatever that may be, is attempted in my writing. I will not compromise that part of me, as I did in wage-paying jobs, so that an audience can find me.
If there is any unifying theme in the blogs I write for Steemit, I hope it is that I've done my best in each instance to post quality material. The subject may be history, art or science. It may be a short story. I never just crank it out. I work hard. Research. Edit. Read and reread.
I'll never earn at living a writing, but writing makes living so much richer. So, I'm not looking for a niche. I'm looking to grow, to learn, to expand my skill and knowledge base. At some point, I won't be able to do that, but until then...the blogs will keep coming.
Hope you don't mind that I express my perspective. Your blog is obviously valuable for someone who is at the beginning of their writing life and wants to frame a career around this talent. I'm sure they would do well to heed your advice
It's wonderful to meet you @agmoore! And thanks for coming to comment- I truly appreciate feedback and conversation. Not only does it help to clarify, but it also starts a discussion and that can be the most valuable aspect of writing online.
Not having a niche can be a niche in itself, insofar that your blog is "general". I know a lot of bloggers label that as a "lifestyle" blog, as they write about everything that interests them or everything that is a part of their life.
If you have a passion- write about it! Write about all of your passions! Write for you. That is the most important thing. When you first start writing, for sure you will not earn a paycheck from it. That is natural and normal. But if you write with passion, and you write for you and from your heart, it will show through and interested readers will respond by reading more of your work.
As they say ~ if it ain't broke don't fix it ;)
I like your style (you have a new follower by the way) and you are doing well here on Steemit. Keep it up! Do you use other platforms?
Thank you! What an encouraging response. I love to write here. Steemit offers the opportunity to write about subjects in depth. Some of the topics that interest me--worms, for example--wouldn't be welcome in many places, but usually there is an audience here, even if a modest one. And some ideas for my blogs grow out of articles I read on Steemit.
I have blogged on GoDaddy, Wordpress, and Twitter. Also, there's a string of self-published books on Amazon I can lay claim to. These are marketed under my daugher's LLC and she keeps the pennies that come from sales.
Steemit offers the best qualities from each of these platforms. Usually (hopefully 🙂), there are readers here. Real live people. A community. Plus, of course, there's crypto, the chance I might make money.
So, I'm here to stay and, I hope, to grow. Nice to meet you!
Of course, you also have a new follower. Thank you for following me.
Oh I love writing here, too. Because of the community.
Where else are you going to find such a talented and driven community of likeminds (came here for the promise of making money) who are extremely supportive, encouraging, and dare I say close? And community minded? (stayed here for the community)
Where else can you find such a group of people?
I'll tell you where- nowhere!
I've been working from home since 2009, which means I've spent more hours than I like to admit in front of my computer, online. When I'm not writing I'm marketing my writing, building an online community for my writing, honing my writing craft by learning and reading, chatting with other writers and fans, helping fellow writers build their brand, etc. All of which is done online.
In all my world wide world travels, never have I encountered a group of talented, driven, bright, supportive, encouraging, and contributing people as here on Steemit. And to be honest I've never been proud to be a part of any social media platform. But I'm damn proud to be here on Steemit, among you fine folks, who arguably make the best community of humans I've met :)
There is an audience here, but it takes time to grow. So many people come to Steemit only to leave a month or two later because they keep looking at the trending page and feel discouraged.
But if you look at the high earners of Steemit you'll see they've been here a while. @papa-pepper is one of my favorite examples. Shortly after I started here I saw an article someone wrote about him. It showcased how in only 18 months @papa-pepper had made over $100,000 on Steemit.
But nobody dug deeper into the story.
Every story has a backstory ;) After I got to know Papa I learned he had come to Steemit with zero computer or blogging knowledge. He'd never written an email, much less a whole article! But he was determined to succeed. He learned how to write blog posts, how to find eye-catching images to add to the article, proper formatting, the importance of title, etc. He wrote and learned and wrote some more- publishing sometimes four articles a day.
He was not given anything- he earned it. And with consistency, dedication, patience and passion, you too can be earning six figures from blogging. You just must first build a strong foundation.
Steemit, like anything else, takes time. Nothing great was built in a day :)
But you know what they say- if you build it, they will come ;)
I'm a seasoned lady. One thing I learned was not to look around and begrudge the success of others. A most non-productive exercise. Resentment, envy...do nothing to advance a position anywhere, anytime. I set my mind on a goal. Realistically assess whether I might achieve that, then go for it. On Steemit, that's the way forward, but also there's the pleasure of the chase. It's fun. I wouldn't do it if it wasn't fun. Most of the fun comes from the community. A lot of it comes from my own creative engagement.
I'm trying to introduce other people who are creatively inclined to try this platform, not as much for the crypto as for the experience. Crtypto is a cherry on the top.
I think the core community here will keep this platform alive and I think it will thrive in the future. There is much life. That's our future :)
I agree with all of the above.
Crypto is a cherry on the top. ~ well said!
I'm so very happy for you that you able to follow your dream and make it happen. You didn't WAIT for it to come to you, nor did you give up when it seemed impossible. I love to hear about people who know what they want and go after it. The tendency is to say "oh woe is me, I guess this won't work out" and then settle for something less. In that path you'll never find your true potential and always have the doubts of what could have been. Now that I've found your blog, I see many great articles you have written that will help me become better. Thanks for sharing your story and motivation,
It's wonderful to meet you! It makes me happy to know you have found helpful and inspirational pieces in my content, that truly means a lot to me <3
Never settle. I suppose that is my life's motto! I always tell my boys (I have three teenage sons) to never settle on anything. Be it career, sports, fun or leisure- never settle for less than the best. And in this day and age this advice is golden especially in regards to a life-mate and career. There are so many out there, of both of those, that there is no excuse to settle for less than what will truly make you happy and fulfilled.
I published a new article on the best writing job boards I've found thus far in my career, if you are searching you might want to check it out :) https://steemit.com/writing/@arbitrarykitten/big-list-of-the-best-writing-job-boards
Congratulations!
Such a great story! Maybe it will help somebody not to give up.
Good luck!
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Thank you!
Maybe it will help somebody not to give up. - that is what I'm hoping for :)
hard work always pays off specially if you have the determination to do it.congratulations @arbitrarykitten.haven't heard for you for a long time and i suppose you have been busy with your new achievement.
I was in a near death accident, broke many parts of my body and mind. I've been seeing doctors and having treatments sometimes 5 days a week and I just couldn't do much- even looking at a computer screen messed with my head. But I'm getting better now- they've done enough fixing on me to make me useful ;)
Thank you for being here for me, so I can be here for you.
Enjoy your day and stay creative!
Botty loves you. <3
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STOPTo support your work, I also upvoted your post!
Do not miss the last post from @steemitboard:
25000 upvotes. That's a lot!
What are these job boards you we’re looking at?
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Early on I learned to look everywhere. The big ones like Indeed, Upwork and Glassdoor, and the not so big yet niche ones like fundsforwriters.com (GREAT resource) writersweekly.com, prowriter, contena, etc.
If you're interested, I'll forward you my list of resources. I've been writing for a while so it's big, lol
I would Loooooooove that list. It's so hard to know which of those sites are legit and which ones are scammy or useless.
Ok, give me a day or two. If I do forget- and that's a possibility as I have short term memory loss from the accident- please remind me!
Here is a comprehensive list of the best writing job boards I have used https://steemit.com/writing/@arbitrarykitten/big-list-of-the-best-writing-job-boards
Good luck! Let me know how these work for you :)
Weldon @arbitrarykitten. Your story and writing style, both are amazing. Here is no target for yourself. Just climb up and try to do what you want.
Thank you! Exactly- do what you want and always climb towards your dreams :)
Good to see you back. Are you here 'full time' again?
I have my own story on going...
https://steemit.com/comedyopenmic/@bittenapple/the-lord-of-the-thrones-of-hobbity-ring-games-comedyopenmic-37-no-1
lol
Well... full time is relative :) I will be posting once a week definitely, more as time allows. I'm still undergoing my treatments- my team of doctors tell me I will be for at least two more years :( but no more than five. So they say. I do believe it tho, as my brain and body injuries are pretty extensive.
I'm also still getting into the flow with my new job and getting ready for the publishing of the first in my book series I've been putting together for the past 3 years. So all I can promise is I will be around Steemit, but posting articles only once a week some weeks and more often when I have that all elusive "time" ;)
It's good to be back, and great to see you! I am going to check out your series <3
Hey congrats to you @arbitrarykitten. I love hearing success stories. And I love hearing yours especially since I feel I somehow lost contact with you. (Insofar as I haven't run across your posts in a while.)
I hope this is an upward trajectory, and you'll earn big six-figure hollywood style contracts and you become the go-to person in your industry. And all other good thing come your way.
Joe
@joe.nobel
science fiction, fantasy, erotica
Hey Joe! I've missed you! I've thought about you a lot actually.
I'm back, just won't be posting daily like I used to, I just don't have the time. I'm still undergoing treatments, and will be for 2-5 years according to my team of doctors. Not too thrilled at that news, but, what can you do? I know I'm fortunate to be walking the planet so I will do what I need to do :)
The upward trajectory of my new job is time consuming but that is an excellent thing! I'm very excited that is all coming together finally! And your positive energy in that regard is very welcome <3 Thank you my friend.
You don't see me posting daily, either. There are only so many hours. Real life and real work take up most of mine. And I do have personal writing projects that are not on steemit, too. Soo, If I can post a naughty little story section or a five-minute-freewrite once in a while, I consider it a victory.
Speaking of victories, congrats on yours. Be strong and keep to your treatments. Read up as much as you can about your ailment so you can walk in educated and call 'em out if something they tell you doesn't sound right.
From my own illness and recovery, I too am grateful to be alive. So I do understand.
Real life has a funny little tendency of getting in the way of all the fake stuff, doesn't it?
My body hurts. A lot. Like all the time, lol. I'm like waaay too young to be feeling all this constant pain, grrr! I'm in complete understanding on all the broken pieces there. Unfortunately, the most troublesome and disconcerting ailment is the TBI, specifically my short term memory loss. There's nothing I can do about that, much less learn, because the brain is largely unexplored and unknown territory. And every body is different. I just have to wait. Thats the 2-5 year wait I refer to. They tell me it will return, but I'm forgetting and missing out on so much it's terrifyingly depressing. But fortunately I climbed out of the dark spiral I'd allowed myself to fall into and returning to a shadow of my former daily life, lol. It's crazy, and sometimes I feel crazy!