zeborah: Map of New Zealand with a zebra salient (New Zealand zebra)zeborah ([personal profile] zeborah) wrote,
@ 2008-12-01 01:18 pm UTC
Entry tags:writing
Age when I decided I wanted to be a writer: somewhere in primary school
Age when I wrote my first story: 3 if dictating to Mum counts; otherwise 4
Age when I got my hands on a typewriter: about 4 - it's how my parents found out my previous scribbling was actually meant to be writing

Age when I first submitted a short story to a magazine: 20. (Well, 12 for that newspaper competition for kids. Forgot about that one.)
Age when I sold my first short story: 12 (prize in newspaper competition); 22 (first semi-pro); 27 (first semi-pro where the editors weren't known to me); not yet professionally
Thickness of file of rejection slips prior to first story sale: <looks at database> Can't be bothered manipulating data. About 0, a dozen, a couple dozen, 5 dozen respectively for the four categories above.
Approximate number of short stories sold for cash money: 3 if you include that newspaper competition...

Age when I wrote my first novel: started at 17, finished at... oh, 25? About that.
Novels written to date: 4

<snips a whole lot of stuff on the to-do list>

Age now: almost 31


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(Anonymous)
2008-12-01 10:13 am UTC (link)
I wonder if I still have that first typewritten "story" somewhere? Or did I pass it on to you?
What counts as "professional"? I thought if you sold a story for money, it was professional. Or are you waiting until you can live off the proceeds of writing to count it as professional?

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zeborah: Map of New Zealand with a zebra salient (New Zealand zebra)


[personal profile] zeborah
2008-12-01 06:43 pm UTC (link)
I've got it all, I think. I transcribed them a while back for my website.

"Professional" by SFWA standards is at least US 5cents per word for short stories; less (but more than nothing) is semi-professional. Living off the proceeds is tremendously successful.

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