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Old 06-21-2012, 08:58 AM   #1
tcnpika
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Have many stories to tell, but just graduated with a math/compsci degree??
Hi to all, newbie here :-)

During the past four years, only during the summer breaks, I researched and finally completed a rough draft of a novel. Actually, I just completed six years of college (one year was mistakenly spent at a tech school) - graduated with a major (BS) and two minors.

But now, I have this novel I'm intensely devoted to, and I want it to be publish-ready. It needs to be shortened (I tend to write too much), and properly edited...but, can I be the only one out there having this problem? I think I do want to get a job in my field (programming, robotics, engineering, etc.), or...do I just want to be a writer now? And I do realize I'll have to get a job soon (can't live off savings forever). I'm interested in writing romantic sci-fi/fantasy.

I'm just puzzled by my behavior and I'm wondering if anyone else has been there, figured it out, decided to do both or not or whatever...

Thank you kindly :-)
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Old 06-21-2012, 09:02 AM   #2
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Old 06-21-2012, 09:03 AM   #3
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Many people balance a full-time job and writing... not to mention raising a family. You can do it, but you will need discipline and a lot of persistence.

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Old 06-21-2012, 09:23 AM   #4
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Old 06-21-2012, 11:38 AM   #5
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Old 06-21-2012, 01:54 PM   #6
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Old 06-21-2012, 02:27 PM   #7
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Old 06-21-2012, 03:45 PM   #8
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Old 06-21-2012, 03:50 PM   #9
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Old 06-21-2012, 04:13 PM   #10
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Hello there, and welcome. I also combine a full time teaching job with a career as a writer, and it can be done! Of course, I'd wish one of my books would be a bestseller, than I can end my professional life just writing.
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Old 06-21-2012, 04:43 PM   #11
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Hello, and welcome.

We have a lot in common; I mistakenly spent a number of years in the wrong school and people say I aught to have a major in BS.

Nice to have you aboard.

And all the best with your writing future!
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Old 06-21-2012, 04:47 PM   #12
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Old 06-21-2012, 05:25 PM   #13
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Hi,

I juggled working a full-time job and writing for a while. It's doable and probably a smart way to start. Set aside an amount of time every morning or evening (weekends too!) and write your buns off. Even if you manage 500-1000 words that's still up to four novels a year. But as others have said, you need to be disciplined.

If you're feeling far more casual about it, that's okay, but it may indicate that this is more of a hobby for you than a possible career. You probably also want to get your work critiqued which you can do on this site once you have 50 posts. Then you want to decide if you're going to search for an agent and publisher or if you're going to go it alone. This blog post is definitely worth looking at first. http://kriswrites.com/2012/06/13/the...hurry-up-wait/

Good Luck!
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Old 06-21-2012, 05:53 PM   #14
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Welcome to the board!

You're certainly not the only one to feel the way you do. Many people juggle full-time jobs and writing. I do this, though sadly, I'm not as dedicated to my muse as I should be. Also, not everyone that writes majored in the subject. I graduated with a degree in Communication. Since you want to write sci-fi, I think you could put the knowledge of your computer science degree to good use.
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Old 06-21-2012, 08:47 PM   #15
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Old 06-21-2012, 10:20 PM   #16
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Welcome fellow newb

A apologize because I don't have any advice for you
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Old 06-21-2012, 11:35 PM   #17
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Talking
Welcome to the forum and congrats on finishing your draft!

I'll stick to the old school stand-by: keep your day job. At least until you have a few novels in publication and the royalties are enough to sustain your lifestyle.
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Old 06-22-2012, 12:17 AM   #18
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!
Get yourself into some mechatronics/robotics position immediately! That way you can pour money into savings and if you really don't like it a few years down the road you can 'retire' from engineering and then spend full time writing (if you have enough savings, you CAN live on it forever!). Even among most published authors, the income isn't half or a third of what an engineering career will pay, and a bird in the hand is worth a lot more than half a bird in the bush.
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Old 06-22-2012, 01:51 AM   #19
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There's no rule saying that you can't do both!
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Old 06-22-2012, 03:33 AM   #20
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I also do urban fantasy (with elements of paranormal romance) and if you're like me, student loans are a pain in the kiester. Get a job first; the writing will sort itself out. Besides, when you reach the frustration level where you just want to kill off all your characters and burn all copies of the manuscript, you can go to work and get away from it for a while!
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Old 06-27-2012, 03:25 PM   #21
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Hi tcnpika!

Welcome to AW!

Don't forget to read about AW basics in the Newbie Guide!

Questions about this software can be found in the FAQ's menu in the handy blue bar at the 'top' of this page.

This common acronym list helps identify our mystifying abbreviations.

Before you ask that Newbie question!!
See if Katiemac has the answer here.

Check out: Sara's 10 Basic Writing Tips.

If you're looking for critiques please read the 50 Post rule.

Questions about posting writing to the Share Your Work (SYW) area
and explained here. This link covers the most common problems found in the Share Your Work *Worth reading no matter how long you have been here!*

AW is a community built on the foundations of respecting your fellow writer and helping each other, it's the basic building blocks of how and why AW works.

Welcome to our community! =)

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Old 12-23-2012, 06:21 AM   #22
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Thank you everyone, so much, for posting your comments and advice. I greatly appreciate it! I'm sorry it took me MONTHS to get back here, but I was having some family problems, mainly due to my son's hospitalization. But now I hope to become a much more frequent visitor and poster to this forum.
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Old 12-23-2012, 08:26 AM   #23
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Welcome. Writers can come from all kinds of backgrounds. I majored in economics, and as of now, I'm looking to go on to a masters, and maybe a PhD. I might also try to do applied mathematics along with the masters. I'll probably get a job in my field and work on writing on the side. It's all about finding balance.
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Old 12-23-2012, 08:59 AM   #24
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Welcome aboard! Balance is the key (as stated many times above) a little free time can go a long way if used correctly!
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Old 12-23-2012, 09:04 AM   #25
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There's been good advice already I'll add that in one of the writing sub-groups of the guild I belong to, we've got two practicing attorneys, a retired engineer and an investment broker amongst us.
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