The Writing Life: I Wish I Knew How To Quit You
No one in their “write” mind sets out to be a writer. Writing is hard. It takes countless hours to finish, edit and submit a manuscript. Rejection rates are sky-high. Writing goes deep into an author’s soul. It’s personal. We are so vulnerable to criticism our skin is as thin as tissue paper. And yet we write. We submit. We let others into our world. Why do we strive? Why do we stare down the wrong end of a gun barrel and write anyway?
Writing is the curse you wish you weren’t born with. The burning desire you would trade for an interest in knitting any day. Ultimately, we turn to writing because we crave it like a moth craves the flame. We need our characters brought to life, our plot twists gasped over by a reader. We know it’s an uphill battle but we push the boulder up the hill, sweating, praying, agonizing, and hoping when we reach the top, what we do will be valued.
If you persist, I can’t lie to you, it will be hard. You will doubt yourself. Doubt your talent. Doubt the universe will ever give you a break even as it is breaking your heart. It will be painful…but so what? Are you going to just quit? Give up because someone cuts you down? Stop trying because the universe doesn’t fall at your feet?
Don’t quit just because it’s hard. You’re made of sterner stuff than that.
You have to believe you have value as a writer. That your words matter. That with hard work, you can create a unique voice that an audience will want to connect with. You have to first find the voice and second find the audience. So when you’re sitting there alone in front of the computer trying to find the courage to write, don’t let fear and doubt creep in. When you feel like giving up, reread this and then write another paragraph. When you feel like you will never make a dent, will never be heard, never be noticed, then grit your teeth and write more. If you can hold to the fragile belief you have value as a writer, you will find a way to make a difference with your words. It may not be in the way you think, it may not be in the genre you picked, but you will find a way. It’s not just a matter of persistence it’s a matter of gut faith.
Never. Stop. Writing.
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