Wednesday, August 15, 2012

If You're About to Lose Hope, Remember...

It's always too early to quit. - Norman Vincent Peale

We've been told time and time again, genius = perspiration, overnight success comes mostly to those who've been toiling at their craft for years, but it's always easy to forget.

When I'm struggling to put one word after another down on the page, I think about quitting.  I think about giving up and writing something else, or trying another genre (that is currently big on the bestseller lists) or just leaving the writing altogether and focusing on my day job.

It's so easy to get discouraged when another rejection rolls in, because there are dozens of these for each acceptance I get.

It's so easy to quit.

But then I remember (or have to force myself to remember) that the easy path is usually the one not worth taking.  What does it matter if I "waste" my time writing stories that never see the light of day?  I'm honing my craft.  And so what if my story is rejected several times...it might one day be accepted by some other publisher or editor.

If I don't keep writing, I won't ever know if success is just around the corner.

Don't give up.  Don't quit.  It's always too early to do that.

2 comments:

  1. I *really* needed this article. Thank you.

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  2. Thanks for the comment. I read your blog entry for the same day and I totally sympathize with what you're going through. All I can say is that you seem to be moving forward and the positive/negative comments will one day become completely positive ones!

    Keep at it!

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