Moving to LA to have a writer career? (Santa Monica: house, job market)

[summerwriter]

Originally Posted by John A

Haha! Hey! English is NOT my first lenguage... its spanish, I'm going to London for 9 months to improve it... And actually I think I have a very good english compared to other spanish people. I Just like American literature and read a lot of it.

PD: I would like to enter to UCLA, however its fine if I do in another university, I just want to know about the city.

As a professional writer, I often attack people's grammar and writing skills but your passion for literature really shines through so I'm sure you'll be fine. I'm a writer who lives in LA but I do mostly freelance work, which I can do from anywhere. If you can afford it, UCLA offers an awesome writing program which anyone can be a part of. You don't have to be accepted into the college to take the courses. You take the classes at your own pace and get a certificate at the end. I would LOVE to take part in the program but I just can't afford it. I am also part of the LA Writers Group and love it.

Welcome to the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program
LAwritersgroup.com - Join a Writers Group in Los Angeles

[impala666]

London is not the best place to sharpen your English language skills, Farsi maybe but not English.
One tip when you write in English try to think in English not in your native language and then translate if you do you will get into a hell of a mess with your “a`s” and “the`s”.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by John A

I plan to have a job, yes, but I want, in a future, to write novels and stuff, just a drean

You do realize that computers will replace writers by the year 2019? The Japanese have nearly perfected a processor which should be on the market by the end of the next decade. Writers will become obsolete.

It's anticipated these eWriter computers will be able to generate a 350 page novel in less than four hours (with an expected 0.6% entering the New York Times Best Seller List), 3-5 short stories per hour, 16 sonnets per hour, and 22-25 poems per hour including haiku.

[Captain Obvious]

Originally Posted by Charles

You do realize that computers will replace writers by the year 2019? The Japanese have nearly perfected a processor which should be on the market by the end of the next decade. Writers will become obsolete.

It's anticipated these eWriter computers will be able to generate a 350 page novel in less than four hours (with an expected 0.6% entering the New York Times Best Seller List), 3-5 short stories per hour, 16 sonnets per hour, and 22-25 poems per hour including haiku.

Call me old fashioned, but I will stick with my 1,000 monkeys at 1,000 typewriters.

[ganto_2010]

people out here with degrees are struggling and flipping burgers we have the highest or the second highest unemployment rate and with the ahole govener cutting eveything id'e think twice about moving to LA just don't want you to get out here and wind up in a postion you don't want to be in or didnt exspect to be a one bedroom where i am is 1200 a month and your car insureance will be through the roof also can you handle earth quakes and tremmors and 110 degree heat in the summer?? lots of people are moving out of ca

[Ceece]

Originally Posted by Charles

You do realize that computers will replace writers by the year 2019? The Japanese have nearly perfected a processor which should be on the market by the end of the next decade. Writers will become obsolete.

It's anticipated these eWriter computers will be able to generate a 350 page novel in less than four hours (with an expected 0.6% entering the New York Times Best Seller List), 3-5 short stories per hour, 16 sonnets per hour, and 22-25 poems per hour including haiku.

Those Japaneese chips again?

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Ceece

Those Japaneese chips again?

Yes, from the same companies that make chips that will render musicians and artists obsolete too.

[summerwriter]

Originally Posted by Charles

You do realize that computers will replace writers by the year 2019? The Japanese have nearly perfected a processor which should be on the market by the end of the next decade. Writers will become obsolete.

It's anticipated these eWriter computers will be able to generate a 350 page novel in less than four hours (with an expected 0.6% entering the New York Times Best Seller List), 3-5 short stories per hour, 16 sonnets per hour, and 22-25 poems per hour including haiku.

Nothing will ever replace real, human writers writing about human emotions and experiences. Sorry Charles, but this may be the most ridiculous post I've ever seen on City-Data.

ETA: Ok, I see that you were kidding now. LOL

[Ceece]

Originally Posted by Charles

Yes, from the same companies that make chips that will render musicians and artists obsolete too.

Are you a Japanese chip? I think forum posters will be made obsolete as well.

[Mike121]

You shouldn't be so hard on kids that post here that trying to follow their dreams. Sure, it is good to caution a family moving to LA that times are tough, because, for a family, the stakes are very high. You need to provide for your family. But for a young single man or woman, there will always be some kind of work for somebody willing to do anything (In-N-Out), and young people can subsist on ramen.

When I was a younger man, I lived in London for a couple of years surviving on about $15k a year, and I had a great time. But I would never move my family there without a crapload of money, because I don't think my family would be as happy eating only pasta and all living on bunkbeds in a studio apartment. Career-wise, those years were a complete waste of time, but, I wouldn't trade those years for anything.

The worst case for the OP is that he moves to LA, or London, or wherever, and fails spectacularly. Even if he wastes 5 years of his life, there's still plenty of time to start over.

I'm not in the arts, but, it seems to me that becoming successful in the arts it a bit like winning the lottery. Your chance of failure is about 100%, but, somebody wins the lottery every week.