Take a break from writing... and avoid forced hack writing. Writing should be an expression of your thoughts, and the words should flow from your pen... er, I mean keyboard, lol (dating myself here). I chased my literary dream for a quarter-century, now I find the most joy & satisfaction by simply sharing my thoughts on the Internet. No pressure, no having to conform to anybody's ideals or meet anybody's expectations, but if I go into depth on any subject, then I usually "go with what I know." It's easier for me that way, despite my creative imagination.
My very first published story was about a sailing voyage to Isla Sur in the Coronados, off the northern end of Baja. I made a successful voyage, and for the following week I thought about how cool it was. I finally decided to share my voyage by putting it all down on paper... pen first, then the typewriter. Yes, a typewriter, most kids today don't know what that is, lol. I sent a query letter to the San Diego Reader, they told me to send the manuscript, and long story short, I received a check for $500. And that story just rolled off my pen... the enthusiasm of youth, I suppose.
Later, after half a dozen stories were published (the skateboarding saga earning the most at $1000), I made plans to write a book. I developed my plot, which was and still is a good one, then sat down to hash it out... but I was attempting to write fiction, and it was a whole new ballgame. All of my previous stories were narratives, tales of adventure which I personally experienced. They flowed off my pen like gangbusters, but the fiction wasn't so easy... I'm not geared toward fabrication, that's why I now stick with what I know best.
It's funny, really... all my adult life, folks have told me, "You should write a book!" And I DID, but it wasn't the book I originally intended to write. Instead, I wrote a compilation of stories, including tales from the road, climbing and sailing narratives, even some poetry, lol. I wound up with a perfectly-crafted electronic manuscript complete with photos incorporated directly into the text of each story, so my readers could share the views as they unfolded. It was and still is an electronic masterpiece, lol... one day it might even be published for real. Hard to say in this modern world...
You see, Conservative Whitey no longer has a voice... he can't say what he wants without some libtard douchebag getting all butt-hurt. And if I edit or change my manuscript to meet somebody else's ideals or expectations, then it isn't really MY WRITING, is it? And the self-publishing websites are a scam, they deliberately f#% up your perfectly-crafted electronic manuscript, then tell you that they can "fix it" for $1000, lol. Naaaah... my writing will stand & fly on its own, I don't pay ANYBODY for the 'privilege' of expressing my thoughts. That's where the Internet comes in, lol...
Of course, I'm still dealing with censorship, and I get banned on a regular basis, lol, but at least my opinion is heard, if only for a brief moment. Better for it to be so than to edit or change my writing to satisfy some leftist douche... and yes, I've been banned a hundred times, if not more, lol. On the flip side, you can take my statements to the literary bank, as I'm not a bullsh!t artist and I speak from experience. To me, that's the best kind of writing, the voice of authority which stems from experience. Others can weave fantastic tales of fiction, but I'm not wired that way...
If others can make successful careers out of writing fiction, more power to 'em... I'll stick with writing nonfiction, mainly narratives & tales of adventure backed by photos taken in the field. That's what works for me, you understand. So find your niche and express yourself... every man & woman has a story to tell, but some are better at telling than others, aye? And some can weave those fantastic tales of fiction, due to their strong imagination... the very best of all writers become the 'Titans of Literature' and their names ring down through the centuries. Their work is truly amazing...
