h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Finally someone who understands how desperate your life can be when you want to be a writer. But the worst part has to be if you accidentally tell someone you're an aspiring author. You get hounded round the pub being told how they once used to write short stories, blah blah blah, easier than it looked writing about what you did on your summer holidays when you were bloody twelve

It can't be worse than the desperation of wannabee journalists, who volunteer to work for nothing in the hope that a foot in the door leads to a permanent job.

I don't recommend it. When I worked on a certain sports magazine, I was given data entry for a week. If there is anyone who has benefitted, it would be good to hear from them.

My dad was always trying to get me to do that with our local paper. I never even wanted to be a journalist but he thought that writing is writing.

Say its great to come in contact with aspiring wannabees, I thought I was just chosen as a compulsive nut case.
Writing creative has been my goal , starting with day school and dispair at not writing a best seller after six months tuition {three hours a week}Bon Voyage mais ammee. Charming Lucky

It's even worse when you have friends who actually make their actual living from being published novelists, and you can follow the whole equation of 'make up story + write story + have book published = money to pay for rent and goods'. Makes the whole experience doubly depressing, because at the same time as seeing it as confirmation that 'anyone can make it', you're also forced to face the conclusion that, as you're not actually making it yourself at the present moment, you must just not have any talent.