How DARE you call yourself a writer if you're not being ignored!!

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   ahostagesituationposted 14 years ago

   Anyone feel this way?

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      Writer Davidposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Well, if being ignored is the criteria, I should have a best seller just any day now!  It gets old....being ignored. But, if you don' t have a thick skin, you shouldn't be in this business anyway.

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         ahostagesituationposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         My thick skin got its extra layer when I became a  nurse.  :-).  I treasure it.

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      JulesGeromeposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      No. Why would I ? If someone is not ignored as a writer ,he must be a good one. From my experience, almost all writers that are ignored, write crap.

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         ahostagesituationposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Well, I just started writing again, stopped in college, but I bet if I tried hard enough I could find a decent writer who isn't published, or isn't being read. It seems to me that like every other business, there's more than one component that determines success.  Talent is not the only factor in a writer that makes them successful. Not from what I can tell anyway.

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            M. T. Dremerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            You're absolutely right; talent isn't the only factor when being successful as as a writer. In fact, I would say that persistence and patience are more important. Look at how much crap there is out there; poor writing that is on store shelves. It isn't necessarily because everyone thought the writer was great, it was because the writer kept pushing until they found someone who was willing to publish it.
            
            The same can be said of hubpages. You could write long, well thought out articles and still have a lower hubscore than the person posting the 'hot girl' pics just because you aren't getting as much traffic, or you aren't networking as much. It's sad but it's true.

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               brimancandyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               I agree with you. I often wonder how some of these extremely crappy movies keep being made. It seems to me that anyone with lots of money and connections can spout out crap all they want, and people will read it, and pay to see it on the screen. While people with true talent sit on the sidelines just waiting for someone to recognise them.
               
               All you have to do is see what is on storeshelves these days, and you see my point. A good portion of it is some tired actors biography, or some health gurus diet book. Fiction seems to stick to established authors, and those who are trying to break in get little coverage. or, some killers true story, told by someone who wants to milk it's temporary popularity.
               
               One reason why writing on the internet is so popular, and why there is so little benefit from doing it. In some ways the internet is more of a curse to writers than a blessing. Now, you almost have to give it away to get noticed. Very sad.

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      Christopher Floydposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      HAHAHAHA!!! Oh yeah.

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   Jeff Berndtposted 14 years ago

   Well, I'm pretty sure Harlan Ellison, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, and Stephen King, to name a few, consider themselves to be writers. They aren't exactly being ignored.

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   ahostagesituationposted 14 years ago

   Very true, Jeff. My best guess, though, is that before they hit the best-seller list they were ignored for a while.

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      Jeff Berndtposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Some of them were probably even actively discouraged. Harlan Ellison likes to tell folks about the college professor he had who told him that he'd never succeed as a writer. Every time Ellison publishes a book, story, article, or whatever, he mails a copy to that professor as a friendly reminder.

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         Ivorwenposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I just read Michael Crichton's biography.  He quit his writing degree to become a doctor, because his professor was impossible.  Of course, his first book to be made into a movie was written while he was still in college.
         
         There is something about these type of stories that I find so encouraging.

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         earnestshubposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I like the thought of that approach. I would hope his professor has learned something!

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         jj200posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         He sounds like my hero. I think adversity helps, it makes you work harder and become more determined. At least it did for me: I wrote a hub about it.
         
         I've found it's hard to be ignored and be a good writer on Hubpages, so I'm glad they may be working to buck the trend. In my short time here, I've found that people seem to be helpful and friendly. Although if adversity helps you, maybe you should request that people talk trash about your hubs. I may try that...

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      M. T. Dremerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Stephen King was ignored a lot before he got Carrie published. He had all of his rejection slips on display as motivation to keep trying. I encourage everyone to read his book "On Writing" to see how much of a struggle he went through to become the big name that he is.

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   ilmdamailyposted 14 years ago

   Yes, I know what you mean - there is a little of the "holier than thou" attitude amongst writers. Suffering for your art seems to be a badge of honour for many people. Needlessly suffering for your art seems to be a badge of honour among many writers in particular.
   
   If you can become successful as a writer then go for it!
   
   ...and let me know how you did it;-)

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   ahostagesituationposted 14 years ago

   I'm certainly no tortured soul, nor a martyr, but man, I don't see how you can get out of creating any real art without suffering a little.  At least if you're doing right, it's a soul-demanding work.  You can't do it unless you're telling the truth until it hurts somewhat.  That's my experience with art anyway. But bottom-line, if you can do something decent creatively sans suffering, than that's the way to go!!

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   ralwusposted 14 years ago

   No, I do not feel ignored. I write good crap.

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      Uninvited Writerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Yes you do

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   blackreign2012posted 14 years ago

   Ppl need to quit trippin about their hub traffic. I mean seriously. When I decided to join hubpages I understood the dynamics of it but my motivation wasn't traffic. I wanted to post my work and get feedback however little or major it was. Just have fun doing what you do on hubpages; the traffic will come when you don't focus on it so hard. Just write. You are still a writer whether you have 2 people coming thru or 200. Have a good day everybody.

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   ralwusposted 14 years ago

   LOL *smiles at UW* thanks darlin'.

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   wingedcentaurposted 13 years ago

   Good Day ahostagesituation
   
   In asking this question are you making a distinction between commercial and non-commercial writers? For example, commercial writers (provided they're half way competent)have more exposure for obvious reasons. Their material "grabs you by the throat," and so forth, and is often turned into "blockbuster" movies.
   
   Non-commercial writers (provided they're half way competent) are the ones that survive the "test of time," and so forth. They are the ones that get the Nobel, Literary Circle, and other peer-acknowledged honors. Their works go on to become "classics."
   
   If you are making a distinction between non-commercial writers as "real" writers, and commercial writers as "hacks," I can, to a certain extent, endorse that assessment. But not all commercially successful writers are not necessarily hacks, but then again many artistic writers go into commercial territory to supplement their incomes - that, obviously would not be the same thing as saying not all commercial writers are hacks.
   
   But then there is the interesting breed of writer who bridges the gap between high art and low culture, and are therefore harder to pigeon-hole than the pure artist and the pure hack. Mario Puzo, John Grisham, Elmore Leonard, and Philip K.Dick, who are some of my favorites, come to mind.
   
   I would say that the true writer takes longer to build her audience and establish a public consciousness than the commercial writer. As for the later, once the fad of the moment has passed, so too does their prominence (unless they can adapt to or shape the next fad, which some of them are).
   
   For the artist who is the true artist, success, if and when it comes, rests of a stronger foundation, I think, because what they have to say is "timeless."

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    CkhoffmanKposted 13 years ago

    Yeh, but a true writer can be a commercial writer on the side for $$ lol

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    Oztinatoposted 9 years ago

    These days everyone is a comedian or writer or artist etc

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