I began taking my writing career seriously several years ago. I had been told for a while that I should be a professional writer, but I had always felt I was lacking in talent in that area. Truth be told, I never feel my stories are up to par- I am definitely my own worst critic. I mean, I read a lot. There’s no way I can compare to the authors who pen the prose I consume like air!

At the time I was a stay at home mom. Terribly busy growing children and making the house pretty and cooking ever growing meals. And terribly bored. Oh, I had plenty to do, sewing active boy buttons on will consume more of your week than you’d like to admit.

But I had the wanderlust something fierce.

Writing was the answer. It gave me an outlet for my tsunamically imaginative mind. And it was a work at home career, which is very important to the type of family I am nurturing.

The problem was I didn’t have much time. I had to be sneaky and write while the kids were having their morning cereal while engrossed in cartoons. And after they went to sleep at night. That is the golden time for author moms! But my favorite time to sneak in some writing was during nap time. That blessed hour, when I was fortunate enough to get it, was pure heaven. My little break in the hectic day that was all mine :)

You know they're getting too old for naps when they say, "Mom, why is it we have to go to sleep when you're tired?

It took a few years of non stop dedication, which was even tougher when I had to begin working outside the home again. But I persevered. Becoming a career writer is seriously something you must have a passion for. It is hard, and it take a while before you can live off your writing income alone. But if you want it, work for it and you will get it! I started out by searching job boards and applying to gigs. I was super fortunate in that I was granted a staff writer position for a humorous survival website SurviveTheApocalypse.net (which I still contribute to). It didn’t pay much in the beginning, ok, it paid $0.00. But hey, I was getting feedback and exposure.

And I was a published writer!

I was also writing fiction, my first love, for myself. Just to keep the creative juices flowing. I really enjoy creating worlds. My favorite part about fiction is your characters start out like your babies. You tell them what to wear, what to say, how to act. But halfway through the novel you realize they have grown up! They are doing their own thing- they are their own humans now! It's an interesting phenomena to watch. No matter how much you try to reign them in to do as you had initially envisioned when they were sweet little newborns, they do what they want. They are now adults and determining their own actions :) I wrote everything from YA to Horror to Romance. I was contracted to ghostwrite a couple novels. If you are unfamiliar with the practice, ghostwriting means you write bestselling novels for big name authors for very little pay.

But hey, there again, I was a published Writer! Even if nobody ever could see my name because of that pesky NDA!

So this is my background. I dabbled around and made a few Wordpress websites, but they were never as good as I wanted. I kept telling myself I’d learn coding soon, it can't be that hard. I just never got around to it. ❤

How to be a video game writer

Fast forward to Spring 2017. I was still struggling to dig myself out of the tragedy which befell my clan, and barely finding gigs. The market is so over saturated now due to the economy. Everyone is diversifying, finding second and third income sources, and scrambling for money. For every job posted there’s about 4000 applicants.

Saying I was desperate is an understatement.

One frustrating day I was about to leave my laptop and go prepare lunch when a paragraph of an article stopped me. The author mentioned a company his friend worked for was having a hell of a time finding a game narration writer who could actually, well, write. I checked the date of the article- yesterday.

I clicked the link.

After reading and rereading the requirements and application process, I downloaded and played a couple of their games to get a feel for what they want.

I could do this! This is what I did, I created worlds! I would create the scene, detailing it for the game developers. I would describe the characters for them to bring to dimensional life. And I would write the plot, narration, everything!

I had exactly what they were looking for already, too! They wanted a natural humor that was appropriate for all ages, and a trendy, dynamic style that was overly descriptive. I have a big problem with that. Being overly descriptive is distracting and rambling for print( I always have a lot of editing out from my first draft) but it was perfect for game writing. The developers and animators need this info- the more the better.

Best part? Absolutely NO coding skills were necessary! This was strictly a creative writing gig.

I sent in my CV and was surprisingly approved to begin the application process that night at 11:59. I can’t remember the last time I was so excited to receive an email!

My next two weeks were completely focused on the process. I signed an NDA so I must use false names, so I will call the main editor Megan. Megan would send me a project to complete with a deadline. Sometimes she wanted a piece heavy on narration. Another she wanted a detailed descriptive scene that displayed an emotion they wanted the audience to feel.

I passed with flying colors and excellent feedback every time. I was on such a high!

Long story short- the editorial team had it narrowed down to me and this guy with extensive coding skills. We both had stellar writing talent. They said that aspect was exactly equal. They gave the contract to the guy. Simply because he could cross preform if absolutely necessary.

I was devastated. I had given two weeks of my time, and was so super passionate I was feeling working on this upcoming game already. It would have taken 12-18 months from beginning to shipment. It was like I had lost my little newborn.

But I had learned so much about the industry in this time that I damn it, I was gonna write my own game app! I had the perfect (and proven) concept, already loved by a whole editorial team. All I needed was a developer! But I worked my end of it- the writing.

Game writing may not have started off as my dream, but it's here now and I work on the writing and creation of my game app everday :) Everything else will come because my energy is focused clearly.

I mentioned this to a colleague of mine who is a professor at the local university. He immediately introduced me to a gentleman I’ll call “Jack”. Jack is recently retired to my area, and is hosting a weekly video game creation class at the university. Jack is very low key, behind the scenes, and abhors publicity. He has shipped nearly 100 games in his 60 year career.

Jack agreed to have lunch with me. Our 30 minute meeting turned into three hours. I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor. Funny how the world works, right?

This is how I found Steemit.com. Jack is also a gaming industry strategist, whose foresight is sought after worldwide. He was recently consulting with a company and cryptocurrency is a big player in the very near gaming future.

In my crypto research I found steemit and fell in love ♡

If you are moving forward on the path toward your dreams, there's no way you can be stopped!

STEEM on my friends!

Follow @ArbitraryKitten for more for Steemit tips, moneymaking hacks, fiction, fun and humor :)

More stuff you might love :)

Motivation
Post Apocalyptic Entertainment- Avoiding cabin fever when you're the last survivor
The City Girls Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse- Don't let the title fool you!
Everyday Erotica
Arbitrary Travel Tips
inCatuation

Original Fiction Episodes
by @ArbitraryKitten

The Strays

Prelude
Chapter 1
Chapter 2

I ❤ your comments and questions! Proud Minnow Mentor :)

Please Upvote and Resteem :)