Sometimes Looking Back...Helps Moving Forward

I've been in this business for over a decade now. I'm tired. I really am. I've accomplished a few things, but I want to be much further than where I am currently. I'm never going to be satisfied, I know this and have accepted it. The drive is too strong, but sometimes you just have to look back to see where you've been, so you can find the strength to move forward. 
I've had a few career changing opportunities over the years. Some, I've failed, others I haven't. Some, I was ready for, others, not so much. But I tried and gave it my best. I'd like to think my best has gotten better. I'd like to think my skill as a writer has improved. Ray Bradbury said something along the lines that, every writer has a million bad words in them, once those million bad words written, they can finally write something worth reading. I'm getting pretty close to my million. How did I do it? The answer is easy and hard at the same time: I wrote them.
Writing is a solitary process. You do it, nobody else can do it for you. The rest of it, isn't done alone, however. That's were friends come into play. I've met and talked with quite a few other writers in this business since I started. Some of helped me, others not so much. I firmly believe that those that have gone before should mentor as much as they can. They received advice from their own mentors and they should strive to pay it forward. They owe it to the next generation of writers coming up behind them. Now, I'm not advocating, you walk up to them and demand advice, not at all. 99% of the time all you have to do is shut up and listen. Just listen, watch their mistakes (they'll make plenty, we all do) and learn. I've done my best to pass on what I've learned over the years and seen. 
This business will chew you up and spit you out without a second thought. How you respond is what determines if you make it or not. We've all heard the horror stories and the success stories and the horror stories far outweigh the successes. That's how it is, it's not going to change. You simply accept it and roll with the kicks to the teeth. You get back up, you trudge forward and you write your million words, and then you keep writing. 
Writing has to come from somewhere deep inside you, if it doesn't, you'll never last. I've had my teeth kicked in more than I care to remember in this business. I've had writers I thought were friends, take projects we were working on together and sell them out from under me. I've had writers steal my work. I've had multiple publishers lie, cheat, and steal my work. I've been dumped from publication more than once. Yet, I'm still here. I'm still writing because it's what I do. Sure, I can stop writing (done it quite a few times), but I always come crawling back. It's who I am, it's what I do. It's my identity, my outlet. It's my coping mechanism. Without it, I'd be lost. 
A few years back, I wrote something for Ray Garton for WHC 2006, I believe. 

"Ray, I met you awhile back in a chat room, somehow we ended up alone and I was scared to death to actually carry on a conversation with you, but somehow I relaxed and had a great time talking with you. I know you may not remember it, but I sure do, because of that night and something you said, I'm where I'm at today with my writing. You took the time to be honest with a nobody and that seed you planted, without realizing it, gave me the confidence to succeed in this business. Something you said stuck with me, so much that I can quote it word for word: " I think you're going to go places. You crack that novel length, and I think you'll be outta here."
"Thanks Ray for taking the time to take a fledgling writer under your wing and offering some encouragement.  I've watched you and you've been nothing but professional and writerly to everyone you come into contact with and whether you've realized it or not, you've provided an example to follow, not just with me, but with everyone you come into contact with.  Thanks for being who you are, Ray." 

What I wrote above all those years ago, still stands. If it weren't for writers like Ray, James A. Moore, Tom Piccirilli, Brian Keene, John Grover, Roy C. Booth, John Paul Allen, Nikki Edwards, Mari Adkins, and a host of others, I wouldn't be where I'm at today. That's the part where the writing isn't a solitary exercise. Friends, you need them. You need to them to vent, so you don't go on a public rant on FaceBook, Twitter, or elsewhere and embarrass the crap out of yourself. You need them to kick your ass and tell you to not quit. You need them to tell you your work sucks and you can do better. You need them to commiserate when you're getting nothing but rejections and nothing is selling. 
Put simply, you need them and they are integral to your success. 

Later this week..."Readers, Why We Need YOU..."