What should I do with meager talent?

I know a lot of you guys are well read and pretty good writers so I figured this might be a better board to ask on as opposed to /adv/.

Gonna green text just for ease of access' sake.

>Had my mom transcribe my infantile stories as a kid
>Never read much
>Got special attention throughout primary/elementary from a teacher who was an author in her down time
(Though I'm black and from a single parent family so I've always taken her encouragement as a result of that, not in spite of it.)
>Mom lets me start boxing at 11
>Boxing and sports took over, writing was relegated to forum roleplay and later roleplay on some MMOs.
>Was allowed into closed RP communities with adults and selection processes at a pretty young age.
>Experienced MMO RPers often commented I was good
>Teacher who taught screen-writing lessons lumped big praise on me for my work
(Again, I'm always very suspicious of praise from state workers. Maybe it's this site's cynicism)
>Stopped boxing
>Things went to shit
>Started boxing again things got a lot better.
>Stopped RPing too
>Still not well read,
>Still only capable of enthusiastically writing trash like Sci Fi and Star Wars

Generally would you guys say it's worth continuing to write going off of the scenario I've laid out?

I don't know how talented I really am, though I'm sure I'm okay. I see abysmal writers getting jobs in the video game industry and I do have links within it so I have to wonder.

>believing in talent

As for the question, there are no guarantees no matter how your writing is. Now connections, that shit helps a lot more, and video games got writing that makes 50Shades look like a masterpiece of literature, so your chances aren't too bad.

The thing is, it's still a lot about chance and if you're not willing to risk it, better get some cozy deskjob and the likes.

Taking a desk job would probably see me RPing again and that shit's so degenerative and depressing that I'd rather not.

I'm curious as to what you mean about

>believing in talent

Goddamnit, I hate kids. You said you had talent but didn't say that you wanted to be a writer, or anything else. Just do whatever you want. You're black so you can and will just do whatever the fuck you want anyway.

>You're black so you can and will do whatever the fuck you want anyway.

That's the vaguest and most obscure stereotype I've ever seen.

If you mean today's climate for affirmative action and social justice giving me a huge edge over my white peers then yeah, that's another big reason I think writing could potentially work out.

Talent is a meme. All the people you think are talented, simply had perfect conditions to hone their specific skills (Also obviously lots of lots of lots of time on practice) or even biology playing along. Take Phelps, that motherfucker is basically a mutant with the perfect body ratio for a swimmer.

>today's climate for affirmative action and social justice giving me a huge edge over my white peers
Is another meme tbqh. There is a lot talk about it since companies want to present themselves in a positive light but the actual number of non-white-males they employ never really changed. Although for a more individualistic pursuit like writing, it should be an advantage.

Though are you actually looking into vidya writing (where only the biggest companies have a dedicated position for the story stuff) or publishing a novel?

>Got special attention throughout primary/elementary from a teacher who was an author in her down time
>Teacher who taught screen-writing lessons lumped big praise on me for my work
I wonder why, will meditate for a few hours on this.

I already do some screen writing with a friend of mine, though it's still skits mainly so we stay sharp with our production skills.

>vidya or novels

I simply don't think I'm old enough to write a full blown novel. I also suck ass at writing protagonists so I'd say a more realistic goal would be vidya writing, especially cause of the small contacts I have in that industry.

what state are you in

indecision

>Generally would you guys say it's worth continuing to write
It's always worth continuing to write. Worst case scenario, nobody else cares because there's shittons of amateur writing out there already, but you still have fun writing it (you do enjoy writing, right?).

>lit being well read and gud writers
This is why you can't succeed

You have no talent.

I have a weird relationship with talent because of sport. You can definitely have talent in sport, I've seen some guys who just don't have that innate rhythm or keen eye to be as good as someone the same age, with the same experience.

Would you say writing is different because it's not physical?

Yeah, I do.

Would you say it's worth going through that whole "start with the Greeks" process of reading?

London in the UK.

Absolutely, Homer (not Simpson) was a cool guy.

To make clear my previous statement, it's foolish in believing that most of the people on this board are "well read and good writers." Some very well could be, but it's a lot of memeing about.

The matter is this, what are your goals and do you have the diligence to work and to improve your work? It isn't relevant what your life has been up to this point and it's never too late to start.

You should start just by reading more in the first place and from there you should branch out into things that relate but also introduce new elements. For instance, you mention you write sci-fi -- have you read Cat's Cradle by Vonnegut or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Dick? Give those a shot and see how you feel. Reading is the first step to improvement - read everything. The next is to practice writing and find a source of constructive criticism.

Personally I think easing yourself in is the best way. You'll likely find your way to the Greeks and the Romans, etc., but be much more likely to enjoy them rather than that time you were forced to read Antigone in lit class (this is assuming you're not already a fan, or, like a lot of people, you don't enjoy reading the ancients).

"Starting with the Greeks" is just the basic ideology of this board - it's an easy thing for our fellow smooth brains to give you - and what if your goals as a writer aren't to become the next Pynchon or the next Joyce (who at times delve DEEPLY into such imagery or scenes), but to simply better express yourself? You don't necessarily need Aristotle or Plato to do so. There is no doubt to their beauty - I think everyone comes around to them eventually - but, to paraphrase Borges, it does neither the reader nor the writer any good if the reader forces himself to enjoy a work.

There's been plenty of meagerly talented, and even flat out bad authors, who have become rich and famous doing it.

this

Talent exists to a certain extent, but not as much as the general public thinks. Writing is a skill like boxing. There are people who can walk into a boxing gym for the firs time and be good, but even Ali had to train to be great. The general public use the word talent as an excuse for why they aren't good at something. "Oh I would have loved to been a writer, but I don't have the talent" when in reality it just means "I didn't have the dedication to sit down and write everyday to better my craft". As for what you should do. Do you want to pursue a career in writing? Sounds like you were more into writing screen plays which are dialogue heavy. Try getting into writing comic books or something. It's essentially RPing, but paid.

Why do niggers always have to bring up their race?
They truly are the women of race.

Have you tried TRYING HARDER?

What is the name of this vidya?

I suppose the oddest thing for me is that writing has always been a matter of relaxation and fun. Something I can do to pass time and keep myself entertained. That's because it went hand in hand with gaming.

Boxing on the other hand has always given fun as a result of the hard work it requires and the very tangible results of said hard work.

I've heard people suggest you just keep up a steady output of content(Even just 500-1000 words a day) which I could do. I only worry about reading as I'm studying history at university too and that means I'll be reading boat loads of non-fiction on a the-more-the-better-basis.

Is the 500-1000 words a day thing a meme?

Cause the screen writing I do is often comedic, it's about portraying a sentiment more than the dialogue itself. Often the action and the dialogue itself could be interchangeable as, at the end of the day, comedy is done best when improvised from what we've found.

Though another thing would be displaying content I make. If I aim to one day be writing for video games then I imagine there probably are formats I should be looking to write within?

I felt it was important to what I was saying. A teacher giving a compliment to "the student of a race I'm practically paid extra to help succeed" is something less sincere(not to cast judgement) than a compliment to "just another kid".

Does this mean you're attempting to achieve with writing what you felt with boxing? There's no pay off in writing as immediate as there is in boxing - no glorious sweat or bruises to show to the girls or rush of dopamine - so I would suggest not viewing it in such a similar light.

With reading, yeah, that tends to be a problem. I don't have anywhere near enough time to read and often have spend a semester without picking up a book. I keep a journal on hand and in it write down thoughts or quick lines of poetry or something - all quite casually - because you should never let any ideas or thoughts that elicit feeling go unscribed. I don't deem my poetry good. In fact, I was a better boxer at 17 than I am a poet now at 21, but I do it cause I can't not do it. So nah, 500-1000 words isn't a meme. It certainly isn't if you feel like it helps.

You don't have to be good. It just has to matter to you, and if you love something, you'll make time for it. If you /do/ want to be "good," you can't do it on your own. I stress very much so the need for a reliable and consistent source of constructive criticism.

I mostly meant the obscenely low standards and guaranteed welfare as a fallback. Affirmative action and socjus work too though.