has anyone from fictionpress actually gotten any of their stories published? - The Anything Forum Forum

Actually, UnhappyPeople once had someone review them who apparently had connections and thought they were good enough to get published, left contact information, etc.

But, I agree. It's a very rare instance, and that person probably wasn't searching for pieces to get published, just maybe some easy reading.

For the most part, this is just to hone your skills.

#3 Sep 24th 2007, 9:34pm

Those in the publishing world don't have to search for manuscripts, they get more than enough.

Although I remember awhile ago a few stories that were taken done because they had been submitted to publishers and then accepted for publication. You don't get discovered here but like Sakka said, it's a better place to hone your craft.

#4 Sep 25th 2007, 6:38pm

Yeah. Even though we don't have a lot of professionals in our midst, the very act of writing religiously makes our writing slowly become stronger. A good quote to keep in mind is, "You have only truly become a writer when you have written a million words".

If you wrote one thousand words every day, that would take two and a half years. It's a long time, and it's difficult to maintain, but it's worth it.

#5 Sep 26th 2007, 2:44pm

deaaaaddd....

Anyone can get published actually.

If you go through http://www.publishamerica.com/ they accept anyone. But, if you don't want your name associated with shit...then get an agent and find some better publisher. I wouldn't go through P.A. though.

#6 Oct 09th 2007, 12:50am

Yeah, Rab, it is. But I've accepted that begging people to post doesn't work. Hahahaha.

#7 Oct 15th 2007, 6:06pm

I know a few that are making an honest effort to get published, and their work is certainly publishing quality.

#8 Oct 15th 2007, 9:31pm

No one said the people here aren't making an honest effort to get published. We're just trying to hone our craft first.

#9 Oct 17th 2007, 11:02am

I meant that they're talking with publishers and narrowing down options for publishing companies. Of course we're all making an effort to get better. That's the point of fiction press.

#10 Oct 17th 2007, 4:41pm

Not for everyone. xD

#11 Oct 18th 2007, 7:49am

Too true. Anyone here doing Nano?

#12 Oct 18th 2007, 6:27pm

Will Sachiksy

I might try it, but...

1). By this time, school might have killed my writing time completely.

2). It takes me forever to write anything, so meeting the 1667 words-a-day challenge would be tough for me (but isn't that part of what this contest is about? Learning how to write a quick rough draft for a novel?)

If I can overcome those two, I'll do a NaNo. I already have an idea or two.

#13 Oct 19th 2007, 3:13am

Yes. I am SO doing NaNo.

#14 Oct 19th 2007, 9:13am

I'm doing NaNo. My first year doing it, but school might kill it as well. Meh. I'm just doing a trial run this year. Anyway, I really need to get saomething up on here.

#15 Oct 19th 2007, 9:32pm

I'm doing Nano to help flesh out my novella. Although I'm not sure I'll quite hit the 50,000 since it's only meant to be around 40,000.

It's my only month with no uni this year so I'll actually have time to do it.

#16 Oct 19th 2007, 10:28pm

'kay, probably way late to be saying this, but... I finished a 50k novel last NaNo.

Meep?

#17 Feb 09th, 11:46pm

Takiyana

I'm looking for an agent to represent me for when i do get my book published. you can see it, it's on here, but it's not necessarily edited. this, i suppose, you could call the rough draft.LEt me know what you think, i'm incredibly self conscious about me work!

*Kudos to those who have had their work published!*

#18 Feb 21st, 1:21pm

'kay, probably way late to be saying this, but... I finished a 50k novel last NaNo.

what? dude, you should put that on your bio. it sounds impressive. unless i hung chocolate on a stick over my computer screen, i don't think i could ever make 50k. I've accepted that my writing will never be on the same par as Matthew Reilly's so writing's something i do for fun.

though I got commissioned for a mural last month, that was pretty neat.

#19 Feb 29th, 8:34pm

though I got commissioned for a mural last month, that was pretty neat.

It's not that impressive. It was pretty bad. Probably the worst drivel I've ever written.

#20 Feb 29th, 11:46pm

I've accepted that my writing will never be on the same par as Matthew Reilly's

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o267/rab86/Fthisbook.png

Wow, are you serious? Anyone's writing is better than his. Matthew Reilly is horrible. He overuses exclamation marks as if the reader doesn't know when something surprising is happening. He writes like he wants everything to be a movie. He includes diagrams to you know... help out whichever poor sap is making his shit into a movie or ....in case the reader doesn't have any hint of an imagination to understand what he's saying.

#21 Mar 01st, 12:33am

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o267/rab86/Fthisbook.png

Omfg. That's absolutely amazing.

#22 Mar 01st, 1:09am

funny how all the things you've mentioned is what I love about that author. It's great! I'm unashamed. But I understand it's not for everyone so we're not going to dispute the issue. I've got all his books and got them signed by him on two seperate occasions. XD. And Hover Car Racer's been bought by Disney so that's going to be awesome too.

http://pics.livejournal.com/fyrefies/pic/0000tp5s

#23 Mar 01st, 5:38pm

chocoholic8686

I have a friend who has posted a couple stories on fictionpress and a publisher is looking at her work. its pretty cool.

#24 Mar 04th, 6:10pm

Takiyana

wow! congrats to your friend!

#25 Mar 05th, 1:06pm

question!!

haha i was surfing through this forum and i have two questions...

one, what's a nano?

and two, i'm kind of scared about using fictionpress... I mean, I know most of us out there wouldn't do it, but what if someone plagiarizes my work? I'm scared about the whole copyrighting situation. Is there anything i can do about that?

#26 Mar 06th, 6:12am

Each time you upload a story and add it to your account, if you scroll all the way to the bottom it says "© Copyright 2008 starleaf (FictionPress ID:522112)." So it is copyrighted, that goes for most things you put online as well. I used to be worried about plagiarism awhile ago but I don't see it often on fictionpress, it's just a paranoid feeling most writers get once they put their work out there like that. The "plagiarism" I have seen though...has been the writer themselves on another account, trying to get more attention put on their work.

Don't worry about it. And if you still do, just submit something, wait for critique or whatever after a day or maybe a few hours, once you feel you've received enough, delete your work from the site. If you don't get any concrit or reviews at all still do the same thing. That's the only thing I can think of doing besides not posting on the site at all.

#27 Mar 06th, 9:32am

what's a nano?

The NaNo we're referring to is actually short for NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. Essentially, it's a month-long sort of marathon in which hundreds of thousands of authors unite in the month of November with a common goal - to write a 50,000 word (175-page) novel, in only thirty days. This means a minimum of 1667 words a day on average. It's a tremendous undertaking, but it's very fun, and very rewarding.

The whole concept of the event is to toss aside your inner editor and allow yourself to just write, whether or not it's good material or you use it in the end.

More details can be found at nanowrimo.org.

#28 Mar 06th, 10:36am

you explained that quite well, Ms Fen. You forgot to add though that nano is evil.

As for plagiarism, *sigh* sometimes I wish that someone would copy my work, but un/fortunately, these things just don't happen that often. Usually only reaaally good authors get copied.

#29 Mar 06th, 2:07pm

you explained that quite well, Ms Fen. You forgot to add though that nano is evil.

By what definition of evil? ;)

As for plagiarism, *sigh* sometimes I wish that someone would copy my work, but un/fortunately, these things just don't happen that often. Usually only reaaally good authors get copied.

I agree. If someone tried to copy me, I have a feeling my poor ego would inflate to the point of explosion.

#30 Mar 06th, 4:35pm

Will Sachiksy

Usually only reaaally good authors get copied.

Not always. I got copied (not just story but also name) on some other free writing website several months back, and I don't think I'm a good enough writer to copy. Maybe that copycat just picked a random FictionPress person and some random stories. To wit: he didn't even take my best stuff. He put up my semi-emo poem and my essay about FictionPress. Plagarists, evidently, are not always the most discerning readers...

I wouldn't worry about getting copied unless you're planning on publishing the work you've posted on FP.

#31 Mar 06th, 5:05pm

I wouldn't worry about getting copied unless you're planning on publishing the work you've posted on FP.

And if you do, delete it off FP being sending it out for publication.

#32 Mar 06th, 5:23pm

its easy for someone to still copy and paste even if you have that copyright thing there, though, no?

#33 Mar 06th, 8:14pm

and yeah, im not inflating my ego saying that someone would want to steal my work.. i dont think i'm that good, but honestly i do worry about it sometimes.

i'm only 17, but i would love to get published one day, you know? I'm going to college in the fall for english with a concentration in creative writing.

#34 Mar 06th, 8:17pm

I'm going to college in the fall for english with a concentration in creative writing.

Ohh bad idea. You won't get the job you desire right away unless you have an in with a publisher or you're very rich. You can't graduate college and expect to be able to be a full time writer. Being a Creative Writing major myself, all I've learned so far was everything that I couldn't do after college...you're better off majoring in English Education with a Creative Writing minor.

#35 Mar 06th, 9:18pm

I wouldn't say it's a bad idea straight off the bat. Being a creative writing major isn't that bad, I mean, the more classes you take, the more you learn and hopefully, the more your writing will improve. I've known people who have done something similar i.e. Education major but regretted it down the track because they really didn't want to teach and preferred writing.

Yes, it's hard to make a living full time writing after you graduate. Not impossible but hard. If you're passionate about it though I've known people who have made it work. Plus, there is some money available in the writing or publishing world. I've completed an unpaid editing internship, been published (short stories and poetry) in a few regional magazines and I'm hopefully about to get a paid internship with a big publishing house. All this and I haven't even graduated yet. Also, competitions are a great way to make some money and improve your writing profile.

You just have to be committed and passionate about what you're doing as well as realising that you have to work really really hard with little much pay. Hard realisation but once you're past it, life gets a bit easier.

#36 Mar 06th, 11:16pm

Are you one?

#37 Mar 07th, 10:52am

Yeah. I'm actually doing a double degree and triple major though. Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Creative Arts majoring in Creative Writing, English and History.

*phew*

#38 Mar 07th, 3:26pm

You just have to be committed and passionate about what you're doing as well as realising that you have to work really really hard with little much pay.

I think that's the case with all the creative arts. You do have to be uber dedicated, switched on, do as much as you can, enter competitions, write-ins and just try to get known by grabbing every opportunity possible. If literature for you is anything less than the air you breathe, then like McCaid said - you might want to have a back-up, like education. But what would I know? I long ago decided to do the safe thing and study something that has a guaranteed job for me at the end.

Out of curiosity Midnight, do you have any plans on how to land a writing job after uni?

#39 Mar 07th, 3:34pm

I long ago decided to do the safe thing and study something that has a guaranteed job for me at the end.

When I started university I was quite idealistic and thought everything would just fall into place but three years in I've figured out that this is what I love and doing anything else would have just been a waste of time. The "safe alternative" for me is that I can do a graduate diploma in education and get a job teaching after finishing my double degree if I want.

Out of curiosity Midnight, do you have any plans on how to land a writing job after uni?

I'm actually looking at entering the editing world. I love writing but being a full time poet is even harder than being a full time prose writer. For the past two years I've been trying to take as many classes and get as much experience in that industry. I've already done an unpaid internship, some work for the university magazine and been helped one of my lecturers with her upcoming book.

I'm hopefully going to get a paid internship in the next few months with one of the big four publishing houses. I have some contacts in the industry that I've made through classes, events and lecturers. After I graduate, hopefully with my experience, I can get a job as an editorial assistant and work my way up. That way I'm still working with literature but I'm also able to work on my poetry at home.

If I can't do that, I'm looking at getting my Ph.D and perhaps trying to get a job at a university. I've got a few other plans just in case though. Doing a creative writing major has also helped me figure out that I need lots of back up plans.

#40 Mar 07th, 3:43pm