I
have writing friends who say they are giving up.
They’re
giving up writing new stories, querying agents, submitting to small publishers,
and even giving up on interacting with other writers on chat groups.
They
are dismayed at the state of publishing. Some have had great publishing credits
in the past. Others have had a modicum of success, and a few have had no
publishing credits. All have no interest or means ($$$) to self-publish &
promote.
It’s
okay to give up. It’s okay to do so and later change your mind. It’s okay no
matter what.
But
if writing new stories is enriching, all the giving up talk makes no sense to
me.
Why
would you deprive yourself of the deep pleasure and stimulation that writing
has given you? If it’s to spare the disappointment of rejection, then isn’t all
of life full of setbacks and disappointments? These are in fact some of the
most enriching aspects of life, even as emotional pain isn’t “fun.”
There
will be eternity in the grave to rest life’s challenging turns. Until then,
writers— tell your stories.
