Once post-secondary is completed you have to find a job, establish yourself in your field, pay the bills, and balance a social life. Soon after (hopefully) achieving some stability in your working life one is contemplating settling down with a partner, starting a family, maybe buying a home. Before you know it you're in your late thirties and writing has taken a seat back on the bumper. This is something I would like to avoid if at all possible. I want writing to be integrated into my life so that, even if it's just a few lines a day, I never completely lose touch with the medium.
The next question to answer then is 'what type of writing do I want to do'? Despite my practiced ability to construct essays (thank you four years of University English) I vastly prefer the narrative form. Even once one has hit upon this preference, however, there are myriads of choices. I'm fortunate to have written a fanfiction that continues to garner appreciation from the internet community but with that appreciation comes the demand for more of the like. While I'd already contemplated a sequel to the work I am also receiving requests/prompts to develop the ideas of others in the community. Since my intention is to put the majority of my attention toward my original works I am having to turn down these requests and encourage their sources to pursue their own inspiration.
At least it is nice to have one's literary skills appreciated so I am thankful for the time all my readers take to supply me with imaginative fodder.
As for my original works I have discovered a fantastic companion in Boxjelly . Her story 'Princess of Prongs' introduced me to her style and from the first chapter I knew this was an author I wanted to follow. Her hold of language, expansive imagination and characterisation makes every one of her stories a pleasure to read. After I left a review stating the like on the above mentioned story she contacted me and the two of us have begun a literary exchange, assisting one another in improving our stories. I am so thankful to have her trained eye and masterful awareness of narrative to assist me and look forward to our continued correspondence.
Boxjelly1's deviantart.com Profile: http://boxjelly1.deviantart.com/
