YOU KNOW SOMEDAYS I THINK ABOUT GIVING UP WRITING
Oh, c’mon writers you know you thought about it. Heck, even tried it. Yelled it, or whispered it quietly to yourself.
I SHOULD JUST QUIT WRITING, I have better things to do with my time than setting myself up for rejection, then spending hours upon hours in hopes of making it in the big time, or making peanuts for the five years it took to write and get published.
WHY don’t I? WHY can’t I? Because I love it. I love to create worlds, characters, stories, twiddle away at them to perfect them. I truly couldn’t stop even when I’ve wanted to. Whenever I get in a funk, and say, why am I doing this…my fingers start to itch and my imagination gets going and you know it…I’m writing again.
HOW TO GET A GRIP and GET BACK WITH IT
Surround yourself with other writers. You know, those that get where you are at. Those that don’t bring you down, rip you up, but those that lift you up, those that encourage you, and those that love your work and want to help make it better just like you do. Get involved, blog (blogging garners amazing support), write :-D and talk yourself back in the game.
OPEN YOUR OWN DOORS
Just because your works aren’t out there, you can still be a great inspiration to others as a writer. Writing is like a portal to so much more than most can comprehend. There are things we do because we write that grow you as a person. To work on something endlessly until you perfected it…is quite frankly a gift, one that’s not to be wasted.
DON’T GIVE UP!
Don't give up! I didn't and have been awed by the fruitfulness of my labors. Tell me your advice on not giving up ….
22 comments:
I think about what my life would be like without writing, and that's enough to keep me going. I also try (unsuccessfully sometimes) to think of success in terms other than publication. Great post!
I truly believe I write because it's part of who I am. I could never give up because I'd be losing a part of myself. Do I wish I was making more money writing? Of course. And I'm trying my best to make that happen. But it can't happen if you give up.
I'm with Kelly, I'd be lost without writing. I can't imagine what I did before. I was lost. I understand that it gets hard. It really does. But I use my weapons wisely. My biggest weapon - something we use daily - my imagination.
I don't give up because I can't. Giving ups something my heart can't do. I have my pity party for twenty-minutes and I move on.
Yep, I can't do it. I just can't stop. Once the floodgates were opened, there is just no stopping. And I get such satisfaction from crafting a new story.
But in all honesty, i do feel that way sometimes... like it's pointless and I never knew it'd be this tough to get published. But it just drives me to the next story. I'd write even if no one ever read it but me.
Open your own doors... I love that! And the way to do it is to write, in Mandy Hubbard's words, "a damn good book." Sometimes that takes years of writing damn bad books. Reading thousands of books. Breaking down hundreds of books until we recognize the difference between good and bad. But the perseverence? It will pay off!
Thanks for the kick in the butt this morning :D
Martina
I love the craft, I love words, I eat books, I crave a great plot, a compelling narrative. I adore the wisdom of the masters: Chekhov, Orwell, Cormac McCarthy, Nabokov, heck, even Edgar Allen Poe.
Story is everything, from Aesop to the Bible, to Salman Rusdie's Satanic Verses, to Obama's incredible biography.
The thrill of crafting sentences, one to another, to form paragraphs, then pages, then an entire novel, it takes my breath away.
I'll admit it, I think about quitting (though it's a fleeting thought) at least one or twice a week. Yep, for all the reasons you gave. But as with most writers, if I did quit, someone would find me wandering an empty highway, drooling, in a stupor. I'd be insane from trying to keep it all in my head. Hanging with other writers, and striving to improve keep me going. Great post!
How do you stay motivated, when it never seems to be quite right? I've written 20 plus (idk how many plus, lost count) versions of a query, and even the last one is still being torn apart. I know the comments are right cuz the rejections are coming in! How do you do it LM? It makes me crazy.
bethfred.com
Beth, I think bigger than sending out queries. I figure a way out to make my own way. But that works for me.
Writing is who I am. I could never see myself giving up on writing. Now publishing, that's a whole different ball game. Great post.
Every once in a blue moon I get frustrated and I have one friend I can call on who will talk me off the ledge. LOL. Everyone needs a friend like that.
I've tried not writing, and it lasted about ten minutes. Because I'm a mess when I'm not writing. :D Great post!!!
You're not alone: I think about quitting often. There'd be more time for skiing, biking, and, most important, reading. But then characters and plots start forming in my mind and I'm driven to write them down. It's definitely a love-hate relationship.
Every time I see someone else, someone just like me, who was just another handle on Absolute Write or just another blog I followed, get signed by an agent and then sell their work to a major publisher, makes me keep going. It gives me hope. Good writing does get published and people are pulled out of the piles and into the light all the time. I love that feeling, even if I'm just feeling it by proxy. For now.
I agree with pretty much everyone here! I also can't stop writing, as much as I'd like to, somedays. We sure are suckers for punishment.
But then you hear that something you've written has touched someone, on some level -- a person you've never even met -- and suddenly it's all worthwhile.
'Pulled out of the piles and into the light' -- I love that. It's true. It happens all the time. ;)
Wonderful post. And a great conversation, guys. Thanks so much!
xo
This was great! Yep, I've had those same thoughts, but I'd be writing no matter what. Whether I get paid and published or not. Thanks for the inspiration!
Agreed, I'd be a writer no matter what, too. I've tried (a lot of) other things, and this fits me best. And what keeps me going? Right now, in addition to the support of a wonderful husband, it's the great writers/bloggers I've met on Twitter and on blogs. Good to connect! Nice conversation!
lol, I quit all the time. I'm just better at writing than quitting. Actually, I have never really stopped writing, just submitting. All my life, I have gone through phases when I decide I need to focus on "a real job" or I need to stop setting myself up for rejection and only write money-making articles or a journal no one else will ever read. The problem is that the stories won't let me. You know what I mean: those characters who nag you until you start talking back to them; the poems that race through your head, often in the middle of traffic or a meeting, until you find a scrap of paper to let them out. So annoying! It's just easier to keep writing. Keeps me sane :)
Oh yes! I've had my "I quit!" days too lol. But my gosh, it's so true when a writer says I CAN'T stop even if I really wanted to. I've been writing stories since I could hold a pen. Creating imaginary worlds before even that. What makes you think your God-given gift will let you just drop it? Writing keeps me sane. It's the only activity I can do for hours upon end and no matter how frustrated I get, something in me just tells me to keep going. Rejection is a part of life and with time you build a thicker skin, though you do have your days where you sigh and wonder if it's all worth it. It's all about believing in yourself, putting in the time and energy to hone your craft, and staying positive. You don't have to be a best selling author to change a life. Write because you love to write, and hopefully others will appreciate your work as well and see the time and energy you put into it.
I tried to quit writing once. I decided I was better suited as an editor or some other role involved with books. I investigated what was required to be an agent. I poked at writing video games. When I felt like writing, I told myself, "No, you quit that, you decided you'd never be good enough, remember?"
But eventually I also said, "I bet I can learn to be better if I try..."
Can't say I've ever seriously thought about quitting writing. That would be like saying I was going to just quit breathing, and would likely have the same effect, if a bit more slowly. But you're right: You gotta believe in yourself, your work, the value of it (if only to yourself), and your right to write. And most of all, find those who share your passion and support you in it, as you will do for them. There's nothing like finding your peeps, and they're everywhere. Do a search on "writers groups" or something similar, and you'll spend days checking out all the places you're not just welcome, but understood!
Thanks for the fantastic post!
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