I haven’t really seen this question being asked of people, and I’m curious to see just how far people want to take their writing careers.
Do you want to become a published author, an indie author, do it as a hobby, teach it one day to others, or something else? And in pursuit of this goal, what have you found to be your greatest frustrations?
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Right now, I want to infiltrate and troll Radish, and work on some pretty good Interactive Fiction.
I attempted to make a better version of ACOTAR, but them I realized the abhorrent lack of anything that happens in that Unseelie book!
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My biggest goals and aspirations for being a writer is kind of all over the place, but the biggest ones would be becoming traditionally published and make a full-time living off it. I also wouldn’t mind being a hybrid author, either. I think it would be interesting making a living between advances from the trad industry and royalties from the indie industry.
But other things I’d love would be becoming one of those authors who hits it big (I mean, of course many of us want to hit it big 
) where I get movies, even theme park rides based off my stories. Becoming a household name is like the big dream.
…I haven’t even published yet. Haha
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I want to be a traditionally published author and honestly my biggest frustration is trying to find time to write when someone won’t come up and try to look over my shoulder and see what I’m doing. Which has been an issue since November so I haven’t been able to write much.
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I actually have none. Well, depending on what we mean.
A strong desire for any benefit from writing, no, I don’t have that.
A compulsion to produce art/craft? Aspiration is exhaling. It’s your very breath. It’s a part of the Judeo-Christian identity for creation as it comes from God.
Yes, I have that.
That was much stronger when I was young, for music. The emotional drain of composing music makes writing look like a cakewalk, even though music comes to me more easily than writing does.
Now everyday wants?
Those are far more in-use.
I like completing things.
I don’t mind sharing things: what is the point if I keep it to myself?
I have exercise goals, like for that silly Cinderella smut thing I need to finish off:
I want to actually do what most people wouldn’t think to: “putting wisdom on the same street corner as hookers”, and let people figure out which is which. Of course, if I finish that thing, I will have to put an author’s note at the end to explain it a little, and I expect that to bother people. I don’t care.
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Yes, yes, absolutely!!!
For now at least it is a hobby.
Sticking to one story idea and being unable to finish a novel.
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I meant things that you struggle with while working towards getting published, my bad.
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I’ve found this to be the most common frustration among writers. Have you tried experimenting with time schedules?
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Where would you say that inability to complete a novel stems from, if you don’t mind me asking?
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Procrastination and laziness.
Getting a shiny new idea that leaves me wanting to focus on that one instead of the current one.
Unable to figure out how to make the story idea that I would be currently working on work in my favor.
Distractions.
That is all I got.
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Oh… Then again, that is still part of a struggle haha
But I’d say trying to get my book finished. I’ve finished other novels, so I know I can finish this one, but it’s been a very long and tedious process and every time I open my manuscript I just want to close it and do something else. 
I’m procrastinating. Haha
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It’s more like I’m living with someone who feels entitled to look at anything you do and criticize you. I don’t even watch tv around this person as I wouldn’t even be allowed to watch it as they would constantly be making remarks. Basically, boundaries don’t exist. I’m really hoping that come July I’ll be able to move out so I can feel comfortable enough to basically do anything again.
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I just want to finish my story!
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I want to continue writing as a hobby! If for some reason I decide I want to become published, I’m aware I’m not a good enough storyteller to ever get that far, and I don’t really have the drive required to do multiple revisions of a book to get it publishable (anymore - I used to). That said, I enjoy coming up with story ideas and having fun with them. I take a lot of pride in writing unique worlds and it’s my favorite part, though I’m trying to shave off some of that excitement for the world and apply it to my characters, because I want to feel excited as writing about dynamic relationships as I am about reading them.
So I guess a frustration for me is how slowly story ideas come to me. Because I have a lot of things I want to work on and experiment with for fun, but few ideas to work with at a given time and lots of doubt for my new ideas. If I could eliminate doubt/self-consciousness regarding my stories, I feel like I’d be a much better writer and I would actually pursue traditional publishing ahaha.
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I want to be traditionally published. I’d love to be a comfortable mid-list author with a decent readerbase who enjoys my books and would love to discuss stuff about them with me. Stretch goal would be becoming one of the big names and critically acclaimed authors in fantasy.
My major struggle is finding time to write - I’m a college student, and head girl of the instution and I like to help out around the house, which leaves barely any free time, even more considering I have big important exams coming up in Jan - the kind people spend years studying for.
And when I do find time to write, my major issues are slow pace of writing, perfectionism and doubting myself all the time, and because of that I usually struggle to complete books.
But I am working on those, my current wip (hopefully one I will query after a few revisions,) is halfway done. I see flaws, but nothing that requires a really huge rewrite just yet. So I’ll be fine, hopefully
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My aspiration has always been to become a full time author, to be trad. published and basically write one book a year (ha! as an amateur I write more than that but whatever) and then be you know like JK Rowling with lots of money in the bank, film deals etc etc.
Little did I realise how hard and full of luck that goal is.
As I grew up it just became my goal to have one book in my lifetime on the shelves in book shops. Even if it doesnt sell, even if I dont make it big and have film deals, lots of money etc.
Now, I sort of have that. I’m about to be trad. published - by a small publication house. It won’t be in my local book shop (but you can order their books from the website, so it’s half way there lol). I’m off work sick long term, so I do basically write full time.
Might not be making money yet, but it’s part of my aspiration done.
I’m just hoping when my book comes out I can go viral like Colleen Hoover has. Crazy how she’s boomed because of TikTok. I can’t work TikTok for toffee, so I’m hoping a booktok-er does some nice review and BOOM. Thats the hope anyway, but I have the deal and thats been my goal so yeah 
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I have just redefined my goals as a writer.
I plan to take early retirement at 55 (8 years away) and set myself up as writer who earns a little money with her stories. To do this, I want to stop trying to do everything I try to do about my writing right now and focus on creating a stuck of manuscripts that had a round of clubbing/workshops and 2 edits (one before feedback, one–after) ONLY. And if the story is NOT commercially promising, then move it to alt account on Wattpad.
I will also be applying to Radish, to see if any of my more commercially promising books can be accepted with minimal editing.
Once I retire, I will attend to things that come hard to me, developmental editing, thorough polish, agent search and/or marketing. Obviously, I will be too old for TikTok then, but I am already far too old for it, so I will figure something else out.
I should have around 30-40 manuscripts on my hands to base my business on by then. If one of those books makes trad, great. If not, I will explore the self-publishing. I hate self-publishing idea, because of promo, but if I am retired, maybe I can figure it out.
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I hope you can as well. That doesn’t sound like a pleasant environment at all. I wish you all the best in your endeavors, hold your head high. Don’t let criticism stop you from doing what you love.
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I think we can all relate, lol.
May I ask what your biggest hindrance to finishing it is?
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Hey, from what I’ve found, people who doubt themselves end up wasting their potential or realising it later only to be astonished at the results.
Can I ask what you think whittled away at your drive to edit books?
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