Is Being a Writer Possible?

Alright, well, I'm a long time lurker of 4chan. But I never really paid much attention to the text boards because they're filtered out anyways usually and fuck, wheres my porn?

Anyways, I want to ask you guys something. You guys seem to know your shit about budding writings, how to get started and stuff and I can only assume you get shit on every couple minutes about someone wanting to publish their twilight fanficiton or some shit about Goku and Hitler and Anne Frank.

Anyways, I'm a history major and I've pretty much always had a fascination with military history. The Seven Years War and the use of Oblique battle order by Prussian Infantry? Know it and examples. The doctrine of Blitzkrieg and being the synthesis of massed breakthrough, isolation of strong points, destruction of rear areas and perfection of combined arms? Fuck child's play. The use of Pike and Musket Terico's during the Renaissance period to negate the powerful full plate horses of the nobility? Hell I love that shit. Urban warfare infantry tactics used to negate the advantages of heavy armor by isolating them from their supporting infantry and destroying them with concealed and small hunter killer teams? I think you get the idea, I'm a history junky and I can't get enough of the shit.

Anyways, -if- I ever become a writer, which I really doubt, I want to be a science fiction writer. But not fucking death rays, not fucking lightsabers, and not fucking mary sues all over the place wiping out whole armies with their dashing good looks. My writing style has been pretty much formed by my research in history and my many readings of soldier memoirs, which I find fascinating.

If I became a writer, I'd want to write like Jerry Pournelle's Falkenberg's Legions books or maybe something in the vein or Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers, probably much less visionary and much less football though. I'd probably end up writing works that dealt a lot with political intrigue, social change, cultural differences and realistic military sci-fi that probably isn't a grand adventure, but instead just the view of a grunt that's stuck in the middle of it. Well, not completely, but I'd love to have one of the characters I focus on in a story to be a grunt, brings a human feel to the ground and whatever. 

So I mean, can that even be a viable field to write in? And even if it is, where the hell do I start? I write short stories a lot and shit, and my friends say they're good (WOW I AM TEH WINRAR), but I seriously don't think very highly of my writing yet, I'm pretty fucking young after all. I'm in no rush to get into the writing industry, and I'm not thinking I'm going to make a couple million dollars because I set on Microsoft word and punched out 50,000 words. But if I want to see if I'm made for this or not, how do I get started?

tl;dr I suck cocks.

People will eat that shit up. I personally wouldn't (I'm pretty tired of both military science fiction and math nerd science fiction, not that both aren't fine as part of a larger work), but I do believe there is a large market for that sort of thing, as science fiction goes.

So write you a novel.

The simple answer is: Yes.

First of all I'd like to say its no easy task, to write, and to write well. It takes dedication and a fuckton of hard work. If all you want is to be famous by writing books then your enthusiasm is misplaced and you will likely fail. I'm sure you've heard it time and time again: writing isn't fucking easy.

That said, if you really have the drive and the imagination to go forth with the amazing task of writing a novel, then I invite you to Absolute Write forums at www.AbsoluteWrite.com/forums. There you will find thousands of writers in all fields, from Fantasy/Sci-fi to Non-fiction and Childrens books. You will also find they are very helpful towards budding writers and will be more than glad to critique your work.

If you do post your work, though, I suggest you have a thick skin. If you don't have one, or just think you do, you'll have to grow one. People there won't kiss your ass and tell you your story is the greatest thing since Wonderbread. If you need a lot of work, which I suspect you will, starting of, they won't hesitate to tell you so.

First protip would be to stop getting your friends and family to read your work. They will always tell you your slog is great, even if they don't think so. Even if they do, they probably just don't know any better.

You can also join us on the IRC channel at irc.starchat.net #absolutewrite. You can also email me at my email address listed if you want further counseling.

Note: I am neither a published author, nor am I an expert in the field. I have been writing since I was 11 (I am 20 now). I've written a few short stories, short screenplays, and one novel, which I am editing currently. Also have a novel WIP and a full-length screenplay WIP. As you see, I don't pretend to be better than I am.

Its good that you aren't satisfied with your work. The minute you are, you've lost the game. I hope to see you around the writing community.

People? On 4chan? Actually helpful? Impossible!

I'll be sure to check that out Anon, thanks, I have no illusions about how good my writing is or what I'm going to accomplish. I don't expect to be the next JK Rolling, and I don't expect myself to crap literary gold when I'm only 18. I've got a long road ahead, but writing's the only creative outlet I get. I suck at drawing, and anything visual really, and I can't play a musical instrument, so writing is what I've got.

>>3 I'm not going to go into any explanation (OP already covered it all, I am eerily similar to him or her, history background and everything, coolio), but thank you for your post. You're quite a cool cat.

>>3
Thanks for the mention of AW. I just joined up and I'm loving it already.

if you guys honestly think using that absolute write website will make you a better writer then you're pretty stupid I've gotta say

>>7
Because sharing with others and getting feedback is such a bad thing? I don't think anyone thinks it will turn us into Steven King, but we can at least get some honest feedback.

Have you read the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin? It is very similar to the idea you present, only in a medeival/fantasy setting. You'll find all the historical combat and political intrigue you could possily wish for, and more. (The main inspiration for the series was actually the War of the Roses).

I imagine it'd be good inspiration, and Martin pretty much masters foreshadowing and plot twists when it comes to political intrigue. Were I to try and write something with large-scale political intrigue, his would be the first books I'd reread to analyze and learn from the literary techniques.

>>8
You see, if the general consensus of that community is that Stephen King is a good writer, then it's pretty much worthless and if you use it it will only take you down the wrong path in learning how to write.

Of course, OP is a fan of the most boring kind of science fiction,  so who knows, maybe that kind of site is what he's looking for.

>>10
Good or not, he is successful.

>>11
well hey, if you're just looking to make money, there are much better and easier ways to do it than writing, especially if you've got the internet

OP seems like he actually wants to try to be a good writer, though, so who cares

<a href="http://www.buyaionmoney.com">aion kina</a>
<a href="http://www.buyaionmoney.com">aion gold</a>
<a href="http://www.aiongold-money.com">aion gold</a>
<a href="http://www.aiongold-money.com">aion money</a>
<a href="http://www.aiongold-aiongold.com">aion kina</a>
<a href="http://www.aiongold-aiongold.com">aion gold</a>
<a href="http://www.rs2accounts-rs2accounts.com">runescape gold</a>
<a href="http://www.rs2accounts-rs2accounts.com">runescape money</a>
<a href="http://www.aionkina-aionkina.com">aion kina</a>
<a href="http://www.aionkina-aionkina.com">aion gold</a>
<a href="http://www.benniuw.com">股票软件</a>
<a href="http://www.benniuw.com">股票分析软件</a>

All right.  Based on your first post, I would have to say, No, it is not likely for you to be a successful science fiction writer.  The reason I say this: There's nothing wrong with what you say you want to write, but everything is wrong with the paragraph in which you explain what you _don't_ want to write.  The ray gun, Mary Sue paragraph.  It demonstrates, to be honest, that you have no concept of what modern science fiction is.

My suggestion to you is this.  If you really want to be a writer, go to the library and get every edition you can find of the Gardner Dozois Year's Best Science Fiction series.  Read those things from cover to cover.  Reshape your perceptions of what sci fi is, and how it works, as literature.

That's your starting point.  If, at that time, you think you have ideas of value and writing of value -- something new to contribute, then get busy writing.

Always remember the words of Gene Wolfe.  To paraphrase: "An idea for a story is an idea for an ending.  Most people don't have ideas for stories.  They have ideas for situations."  Take this advice to heart and avoid the path of starting a thousand stories and novels but finishing none.

Good luck, fellow traveler of the written word....

Submit your stories to magazines, build a reputation, then submit novels to publishers once they see you have a track record.  Research publishers online and in Writer's Market who publish fiction, sci-fi, historical fiction, fantasy and alternate history, and submit to them once you've found a literary agent who isn't really scamming you.