Sometimes I wonder why I keep writing. I mean, I've been at it for six years, what have I gotten out of it? I self-publish online, and most things I've written a few hundred reads, but compared to others that have gotten tens of thousands, that's nothing. I've gotten a fair amount of reviews, but they've never streamed in, and they're rare. And it's not like I've had anything put in print, or made so much as a penny.
I think I've probably spent over a thousand hours writing. How many other things- outside of school- have I spent this much time on? Yeah, I play guitar, and I do art/crafts, and I like to bake, and I work, but I don't think I've spent THAT many hours- at least not that consistently- on anything else. These are hours that I could've spent studying, watching TV, working out, shopping, or hanging out with my friends. Would my grades have been better, for example, had I not spent all this time writing? Maybe, but considering I got in to 8 out of the 11 colleges I applied to, and I had near-perfect grades in my first year of college, how much better could they have been?
My writing hasn't gotten me any scholarships or school-wide recognition. I haven't won any "real" awards, although I've won a few "online" awards (I have "won" "awards" for how prolific I am, and I had a few poems make it onto "most read" lists).
But maybe that's enough. To put it in perspective, two of the main sites I've used to publish don't have very good Search systems (it's hard to find what you really want); one of those sites has had very little traffic in the genres I write for the past few years; and I really haven't done much in the way of self-promotion. Considering all that, a "few hundred" reads is actually pretty darn amazing, if I do say so myself, considering I don't know ANY of these people. And while the reviews don't number in the thousands, the ones I have gotten ("this is my favorite story"; "reading the story [a 53,000 word story, short novel/novella] was worth the time"; "i love coming on and finding new chapters"; and many similar to that) are pretty amazing. I've also been contacted by a handful of people saying they liked what I write- one of them that I've now been "friends" with for four years (who knows who she is!). Some of them are from places near me- nearby suburbs in NJ- and some are a bit farther- New York, Maryland, Texas, California, Washington; Canada, Mexico, the UK, France, Australia, Japan, Malaysia.
That's more than most people can say. And sure, I haven't made any money, but frankly, I haven't tried, and it's not about the money for me anyway (not that I would deny money if it came my way!). Writing is a hobby for me, not my career (not yet?).
But in the end, though, I don't think the reason I keep writing is any of that. It's not about number of reads, number of reviews, number of fans, or money. I started writing because I wanted to write, and I keep writing because I love to write. Sometimes I get ideas and feel compelled to write them (if you're a writer, artist, or musician, you might understand), like with a recent short story. Writing is also a way for me to express myself, and sure, it might not make me rich and famous, but a grand total (among every chapter of every story I've written) of tens of thousands of reads (maybe close to a hundred thousand by now- I haven't calculated in awhile)- that would be a total of at least a year that other people (that I don't know) spent reading my writing (if you put it all together, end to end)- isn't bad, especially since some of them are on the other side of the world.
Honestly though, everything else- reviews, messages, reads, feedback, comments, and all else- aside, the reason I keep writing is really because it is something I love to do.
Although- (a few years ago) I had a reader in Malaysia (that's 10,000 miles away) that contacted me. Whenever I think about that, it makes me smile- how incredibly cool is that? I know I haven't changed the world, or anything like that, but the fact that I- starting out as a 12 year old in the suburbs, now an 18 year old living (most of the year) in a small city- could actually create something that people that far away could find, and appreciate enough to tell me they liked it, is pretty amazing.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Things I Learned From Warped Tour/ Advice for Warped Noobs
Today I went to the Warped Tour for the first time... ever. I've been wanting to go since I was about 13, but because of camp, work, and vacations, had never been able to go before this year. Pretty much every band I listen to has played on Warped at least once, so it was pretty exciting to go.
I learned a lot of things from going to Warped, which I thought I'd share:
1. The fact that you put sunscreen on your arms does not mean you won't get sunburned on your back or shoulders. Apparently, sunscreen only protects the places that you actually put it on.
2. Water is good for hydration, but Powerade has sugar, and considering you probably won't be eating much (the food at Warped was expensive and gross; on top of that, I know that I was barely hungry because of how hot is was), that's a good thing, even if- like me- you don't usually drink sports drinks.
3. Going in the pits can be fun, but if you want to avoid injury or (in my case) re-injury, it's okay to avoid the pits, and it doesn't make you any less hardxcore. If you want to avoid the pit, stand a little farther back and/or towards the sides.
4. Finding a shady place to sit when it's that hot and sunny is pretty much like finding the holy grail. And yes, it will probably be on the ground (which is, you know, a parking lot). But you know what? On a hot, sunny day, even sitting on pavement (you'll probably have to kick aside some water bottles and stuff) is AWESOME if it's shady.
5. Even if you're not a huge, dedicated fan of them, it's still pretty cool to meet a band as awesome as, oh, The Casualties. Which I did. Okay, I only met half the band, but it's still pretty cool.
6. Considering band members- even of headlining and well-known bands (Hey Monday, for example)- tend to walk around the venue, you should probably bring a Sharpie (since musicians don't always carry Sharpies) if you want autographs (there will be plenty of opportunities for autographs).
7. It will be HOT. Don't wear long pants. You'll look- and feel- like a fool, that is until you pass out from the heat. Wear shorts. Really.
8. If a band comes up to you and asks you to listen to their music, say yes, and chat with them for a few minutes. And buy the CD. Okay, you don't *have* to buy the CD, but if you do- and ask them to sign it, you'll win major points. (Plus, if the band makes it big, you'll get to say you knew them way back when.)
9. Those sprinklers? Yeah. They're awesome. Take advantage of them.
10. Bring some hand sanitizer, and a little thing of tissues. You'll know why.
11. TAKE PICTURES, for pete's sake! It's the Warped Tour, and you'll have plenty of things to take pictures of- even aside from the actual performances.
12. Get there earlyish (there will be things to do- mostly, unsigned/local bands trying to sell you there CD), stay as long as you can, and HAVE FUN!
I learned a lot of things from going to Warped, which I thought I'd share:
1. The fact that you put sunscreen on your arms does not mean you won't get sunburned on your back or shoulders. Apparently, sunscreen only protects the places that you actually put it on.
2. Water is good for hydration, but Powerade has sugar, and considering you probably won't be eating much (the food at Warped was expensive and gross; on top of that, I know that I was barely hungry because of how hot is was), that's a good thing, even if- like me- you don't usually drink sports drinks.
3. Going in the pits can be fun, but if you want to avoid injury or (in my case) re-injury, it's okay to avoid the pits, and it doesn't make you any less hardxcore. If you want to avoid the pit, stand a little farther back and/or towards the sides.
4. Finding a shady place to sit when it's that hot and sunny is pretty much like finding the holy grail. And yes, it will probably be on the ground (which is, you know, a parking lot). But you know what? On a hot, sunny day, even sitting on pavement (you'll probably have to kick aside some water bottles and stuff) is AWESOME if it's shady.
5. Even if you're not a huge, dedicated fan of them, it's still pretty cool to meet a band as awesome as, oh, The Casualties. Which I did. Okay, I only met half the band, but it's still pretty cool.
6. Considering band members- even of headlining and well-known bands (Hey Monday, for example)- tend to walk around the venue, you should probably bring a Sharpie (since musicians don't always carry Sharpies) if you want autographs (there will be plenty of opportunities for autographs).
7. It will be HOT. Don't wear long pants. You'll look- and feel- like a fool, that is until you pass out from the heat. Wear shorts. Really.
8. If a band comes up to you and asks you to listen to their music, say yes, and chat with them for a few minutes. And buy the CD. Okay, you don't *have* to buy the CD, but if you do- and ask them to sign it, you'll win major points. (Plus, if the band makes it big, you'll get to say you knew them way back when.)
9. Those sprinklers? Yeah. They're awesome. Take advantage of them.
10. Bring some hand sanitizer, and a little thing of tissues. You'll know why.
11. TAKE PICTURES, for pete's sake! It's the Warped Tour, and you'll have plenty of things to take pictures of- even aside from the actual performances.
12. Get there earlyish (there will be things to do- mostly, unsigned/local bands trying to sell you there CD), stay as long as you can, and HAVE FUN!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Concerts
I love listening to music. There are many songs that create different feelings in me, there are songs that make me cry, songs that make me smile, songs that make me feel calm.
But nothing quite compares to live music. Seeing a band is a different experience then listening to the songs on my iPod, at home, or in the car.
When I listen to music, it's usually just me. Sometimes a few friends, or my family, but it's not usually a lot of people.
But seeing a band live, you get to see the musicians up close (well, if you're lucky enough to get good seats or be in the mosh pit). Almost more important than that, at least to me, is that when I see a band live, I'm in the same room (to use the term loosely) as several (sometimes hundreds, often thousands) of people who are here for the exact same reason I am: to see this band live. These are people who I have never met, and who I may or may not have lots in common with. But there is one thing I have in common with fans at a concert, and that is that we have all listened to this music before. And while other fans at the show may have had different experiences listening to the music before, during the show, everyone is experiencing the same thing at the same time.
Some people don't like going to concerts because the bands "aren't good live". It's true that many bands- and especially singers- don't sound as good live (because, um, there are no "do-overs", perfect acoustics, or extensive editing live), but if you ask me, the point of going to a concert isn't just to listen to the music live; it's about seeing the band and experiencing the music with other people.
If you ask me, it's a pretty cool experience.
But nothing quite compares to live music. Seeing a band is a different experience then listening to the songs on my iPod, at home, or in the car.
When I listen to music, it's usually just me. Sometimes a few friends, or my family, but it's not usually a lot of people.
But seeing a band live, you get to see the musicians up close (well, if you're lucky enough to get good seats or be in the mosh pit). Almost more important than that, at least to me, is that when I see a band live, I'm in the same room (to use the term loosely) as several (sometimes hundreds, often thousands) of people who are here for the exact same reason I am: to see this band live. These are people who I have never met, and who I may or may not have lots in common with. But there is one thing I have in common with fans at a concert, and that is that we have all listened to this music before. And while other fans at the show may have had different experiences listening to the music before, during the show, everyone is experiencing the same thing at the same time.
Some people don't like going to concerts because the bands "aren't good live". It's true that many bands- and especially singers- don't sound as good live (because, um, there are no "do-overs", perfect acoustics, or extensive editing live), but if you ask me, the point of going to a concert isn't just to listen to the music live; it's about seeing the band and experiencing the music with other people.
If you ask me, it's a pretty cool experience.
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