# Commissioning for stories?



## Scails_and_tails (Oct 23, 2017)

hey guys! I'm kinda new here, so sorry if this is a stupid question but I am very curious about the answer to this. I've seen people commission art before, and I'm good at drawing, don't get me wrong. But I don't have my tablet yet, but one thing I'm very good at is story writing. Is it possible to commission stories? And if so how would the process of doing so be like exactly? Thanks for any help I can get guys!!!


----------



## -..Legacy..- (Oct 23, 2017)

It is done occasionally, and the process isn't much different than any other form of art.  

For specific writing: You'll need all applicable details of each character, the world it takes place in, premise of the story arc, etc. 

Other times will just be "put my character in this situation", and give you latitude as a creator to fill in the blanks.


----------



## Scails_and_tails (Oct 23, 2017)

-..Legacy..- said:


> It is done occasionally, and the process isn't much different than any other form of art.
> 
> For specific writing: You'll need all applicable details of each character, the world it takes place in, premise of the story arc, etc.
> 
> Other times will just be "put my character in this situation", and give you latitude as a creator to fill in the blanks.


I thought so, just making sure. Is it possible to charge money for a story? And if so how much would be a good amount? Appreciate the help!


----------



## Jarren (Oct 23, 2017)

You can absolutely charge for a story. Most writers I see charge a flat fee up to a certain word count and then have greater word counts come with greater costs. Look around FA at some of the more successful writers and see what they charge. That said, FA isn't the biggest venue for writing and a lot of written work struggles to get more than 50 ish views on here. Other sites might bring you more writing-based success.


----------



## Scails_and_tails (Oct 23, 2017)

Jarren said:


> You can absolutely charge for a story. Most writers I see charge a flat fee up to a certain word count and then have greater word counts come with greater costs. Look around FA at some of the more successful writers and see what they charge. That said, FA isn't the biggest venue for writing and a lot of written work struggles to get more than 50 ish views on here. Other sites might bring you more writing-based success.


Thanks so much for the help! I think I'll start getting to work on posting my first commissions


----------



## nitroglycerinewaffles (Oct 29, 2017)

Well the thing is that writing is super easy and anyone can do it, so with it being such a commonplace ability, and with so much of it in existence already, why would anyone pay much of anything for it? It's definitely a buyer's market. You can't GIVE it away. If someone asks me if I have any special talents or skills and the only thing I have to say for myself is that I'm a good writer, I might as well just say "no, I have no skills whatsoever, I might as well work at mcdonalds or walmart".


----------



## reptile logic (Oct 29, 2017)

Wow, way to go;  pissing in the cornflakes.


----------



## -..Legacy..- (Oct 29, 2017)

It is true, pretty much everyone here is a "writer" by definition.

  The deviation is that there is a vast open space between general information, and being able to eloquently convey the simplest of things to catch the reader's imagination.


----------



## reptile logic (Oct 29, 2017)

Yup.


----------



## PaintedMica (Oct 30, 2017)

nitroglycerinewaffles said:


> Well the thing is that writing is super easy and anyone can do it, so with it being such a commonplace ability, and with so much of it in existence already, why would anyone pay much of anything for it? It's definitely a buyer's market. You can't GIVE it away. If someone asks me if I have any special talents or skills and the only thing I have to say for myself is that I'm a good writer, I might as well just say "no, I have no skills whatsoever, I might as well work at mcdonalds or walmart".



There is a difference between basic communication, and actual skill based writing. Not everyone can write like Tolkien or George R.R Martin. In my eyes writing is a skill based talent that does require dedication and practice in order to do well. As such, the amount of work and intellectual research and thought that goes into several pieces of literature people can write certainly have the ability to be sold for monetary value. Writing is something everyone is basically capable of doing yes, but writing well is something that takes time, dedication, and practice.


----------



## -..Legacy..- (Oct 30, 2017)

Stephen King is also an extremely tactical writer.  You'll probably never have to re-read anything, because you couldn't figure out where you were.


----------



## BahgDaddy (Nov 14, 2017)

nitroglycerinewaffles said:


> Well the thing is that writing is super easy and anyone can do it, so with it being such a commonplace ability, and with so much of it in existence already, why would anyone pay much of anything for it? It's definitely a buyer's market. You can't GIVE it away. If someone asks me if I have any special talents or skills and the only thing I have to say for myself is that I'm a good writer, I might as well just say "no, I have no skills whatsoever, I might as well work at mcdonalds or walmart".



Okay, go write a novel, get it published, and get back to us.


----------



## femsubamber (Dec 5, 2017)

Here's the thing, as with artwork, you will ultimately get what you pay for. There are a lot more people who -will- write than to be perfectly honest have any particular knack for it. If you're selling your writing don't approach it as a seller's market. Charge what you think you're worth and the market will judge your talent accordingly. If you have talent (and/or if you're willing to writing within certain niches I suppose as well) you can make decent money. Nobody is expecting furry erotica to snag you anything like standard commercial writing writes of course, but I've charged around $0.05 a word for more than one furry project because it was interesting and I had the time. That's not great for the time, but if you can crank out a 5k word story at that rate it's nothing silly either.

And like artwork, the more you write for yourself and just straight up practice, the better you'll be.


----------



## SSJ3Mewtwo (Jan 2, 2018)

nitroglycerinewaffles said:


> Well the thing is that writing is super easy and anyone can do it, so with it being such a commonplace ability, and with so much of it in existence already, why would anyone pay much of anything for it? It's definitely a buyer's market. You can't GIVE it away. If someone asks me if I have any special talents or skills and the only thing I have to say for myself is that I'm a good writer, I might as well just say "no, I have no skills whatsoever, I might as well work at mcdonalds or walmart".



 I have to object to that.  Sorry, no, there is as wide a range of writing styles and skills in those styles as there is in drawn artwork.  There is good reason why there are a number of writers on FA who are in such high demand that their slots sell out within moments of their journals/tweets going up announcing their next batch opening.


----------



## Sariia (Jan 3, 2018)

SSJ3Mewtwo said:


> I have to object to that.  Sorry, no, there is as wide a range of writing styles and skills in those styles as there is in drawn artwork.  There is good reason why there are a number of writers on FA who are in such high demand that their slots sell out within moments of their journals/tweets going up announcing their next batch opening.


thank you for that
my commissions have been closed for a week but I still have people coming at me for bribe slots for paying more than my normal prices so im dying, slowly, waiting until I can take a small break XD


----------



## TikTikKobold (Jan 9, 2018)

SSJ3Mewtwo said:


> I have to object to that.  Sorry, no, there is as wide a range of writing styles and skills in those styles as there is in drawn artwork.  There is good reason why there are a number of writers on FA who are in such high demand that their slots sell out within moments of their journals/tweets going up announcing their next batch opening.


I would love to get in on this flowing source of writing commissions. Right now, I only really have a stable series of commissioners. I'd love to have the problem of having to close down my commissions because I got too much.


----------



## SSJ3Mewtwo (Jan 9, 2018)

TikTikKobold said:


> I would love to get in on this flowing source of writing commissions. Right now, I only really have a stable series of commissioners. I'd love to have the problem of having to close down my commissions because I got too much.



Keep putting your stuff out there, make sure you advertise that you take commissions, and make yourself as approachable as possible.  If your style and professionalism draw attention, they'll draw commissioners.

Don't shy away from the Art Sales and Auctions, where you can post an ad, and spread your self across multiple sites, so as many people can see your name and style as possible.


----------



## TikTikKobold (Jan 10, 2018)

SSJ3Mewtwo said:


> Keep putting your stuff out there, make sure you advertise that you take commissions, and make yourself as approachable as possible.  If your style and professionalism draw attention, they'll draw commissioners.
> 
> Don't shy away from the Art Sales and Auctions, where you can post an ad, and spread your self across multiple sites, so as many people can see your name and style as possible.


Art sales and auctions? Thank you very much. I'll post there when I get the chance to look over the rules and stuff! Been wondering where to post things. Information on this board's stickies is a little outdated, I think.


----------



## SSJ3Mewtwo (Jan 10, 2018)

TikTikKobold said:


> Art sales and auctions? Thank you very much. I'll post there when I get the chance to look over the rules and stuff! Been wondering where to post things. Information on this board's stickies is a little outdated, I think.



We did a purge of the older stickies and such that weren't relevant anymore.  But if you see something which stands out as needing adjustment just tag it with a report.


----------

