A heads up
An unspoken rule if you're trying to use your blog as a tool of ambition: be sparse on details about real life.
A corollary: if something in real life will affect blog content, or still has to do with the blog's topic, mention is permissible if it's not overly personal.
One day, during my last semester, I read something by a popular game writer who writes terribly. I said to myself, "I can write a hell of a lot better than that guy, and he's published, so it only follows that I, too, can be published." My confidence magically increased. I got my column at GSW, an article (that still isn't published) that was accepted at Gamasutra, and an article in the works at Eurogamer.
I've hinted at my current life position, but let me give you a brief summary: I just finished my schooling this year. The economy sucks. I pitched while I tried to get jobs.
Well, now I have a job (my first week was last week), and less time to write and think. I have pitched/applied in quite a few other capacities. One, on my second pitch, told me almost, but no. I will try with them again and am confident I will eventually write an article for them, but I don't know where to go from here. I'm still going to do GSW. I'm just saying to my literally 20 (max) readers: I don't know if I'll ever be a games writer, and one day I may stop. And I don't really know yet how my job will affect this blog, or my attitudes to game writing.
Anyway, I am in a position of relief--one that pays bills. Writing while waiting for employment and writing during employment are different things; I'm simply saying I don't comprehend those differences yet, or their implications. Reduction in quantity, and even quality? Possibly.
A corollary: if something in real life will affect blog content, or still has to do with the blog's topic, mention is permissible if it's not overly personal.
One day, during my last semester, I read something by a popular game writer who writes terribly. I said to myself, "I can write a hell of a lot better than that guy, and he's published, so it only follows that I, too, can be published." My confidence magically increased. I got my column at GSW, an article (that still isn't published) that was accepted at Gamasutra, and an article in the works at Eurogamer.
I've hinted at my current life position, but let me give you a brief summary: I just finished my schooling this year. The economy sucks. I pitched while I tried to get jobs.
Well, now I have a job (my first week was last week), and less time to write and think. I have pitched/applied in quite a few other capacities. One, on my second pitch, told me almost, but no. I will try with them again and am confident I will eventually write an article for them, but I don't know where to go from here. I'm still going to do GSW. I'm just saying to my literally 20 (max) readers: I don't know if I'll ever be a games writer, and one day I may stop. And I don't really know yet how my job will affect this blog, or my attitudes to game writing.
Anyway, I am in a position of relief--one that pays bills. Writing while waiting for employment and writing during employment are different things; I'm simply saying I don't comprehend those differences yet, or their implications. Reduction in quantity, and even quality? Possibly.
posted by Etelmik at
2:24 PM
6 Comments:
Good luck with the employment seeking! Any games publication would be lucky to have you, your writing is top-notch.
Thanks man. You (and many others) have been writing a hell of longer than I have, though.
I'm in a similar boat of trying to blog my way into the industry. I think you have managed to be more concrete with your approach than I. I'm a fan of your work though, so keep it up :)
I know the feeling I think you're describing. But you say you don't know if you'll ever be a games writer -- you are a games writer. It's thankless and hard, but the difference between writers and wannabe writers is that writers sit down and write. You don't need a seal of approval from anyone. You just need to grind.
Congrats on the job!
Agreed, as someone told me once, "You are what you do repeatedly."
The whole time I've been a freelance writer, I've had a full-time job not related to writing. It's hard, and I miss out on some opportunities to cover breaking news or to spend all day blogging. But I've still been able to keep up a steady output, and sometimes having to improvise is fun - like interviewing people from the back of my car in the office parking lot.
There are a lot of ways to make it work, especially from such a great start.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home