April 8, 2011

We don’t like to talk about quitting or giving up on our dreams. But let’s be honest. Will every wannabe writer eventually land big contracts,  snag a well-known NY agent, and be sent on ten-city book tours? No.

Maybe your dreams are more modest, but you’ve worked at breaking into publishing for years. Should you continue the struggle? For how long? How do you know when to quit?

Asking the Wrong Question

I came across an excellent discussion from a blog post that is several years old, but the advice is timeless. Called “When to Quit,” it’s a lengthy article by Scott Young on this subject. I hope you’ll read it to the end.

One factor the article said to consider was how you feel on a day-to-day basis as you pursue your dream. How is the process affecting your life, your character, your growth? “So if you are pursuing your dream and you don’t think you are going to make it, the question of whether or not to quit doesn’t depend on your chance of success. The real question is whether pursuing this dream is causing you to grow. Does this path fill you with passion and enthusiasm? Do you feel alive?”

You may not agree with all his views, but I guarantee that the article will make you think–even if you have no intention of quitting. It might lead you to make a course correction however. And it will make you evaluate why you’re pursuing your particular dream–and that’s always a good thing!

If you have a minute, give me your reactions to the ideas in his article.

8 Comments »

1. 

   How a writer feels about his or her own work isn’t a good indication of where he or she is. Some great writers are filled with self-doubt. Some terrible writers are loaded with self-assurance. If you work at it long enough and are truly teachable, you’ll probably “succeed” (assumption is that you equate publication with success) at some level in the end, but the key word here is work.

   I think that most of the pre-published writers struggling out there are the ones who are not making the effort to hone their skills and educate themselves, or they just haven’t been doing it long enough. I see this a lot in critique groups where most members don’t have the English skills to get themselves out of the slush pile, no matter how good their story ideas might be. There’s a lot of sloppy work out there.

   What’s sad is that few of these pre-published writers seem to be cognizant of what’s wrong with their English usage. If they aren’t going to work to educate themselves, they really can’t expect to be published, but if they don’t know enough to know it’s wrong, then they’re really in a bad spot.

   Comment by Beth MacKinney — April 8, 2011 @ 11:45 am

2. 

   It is a long post but has many gems held within. I have been thinking about quitting lately. Life is just getting in the way. But quitting is just too easy & I DO still have Passion for Writing.
   My husband loves to say “The future will look after itself with some planning but you have to Live For Today or you’ll miss the journey.” He’s still pursuing his self-employed career because he still truly enjoys what he’s doing despite the frustrations, and he is getting more successful in small steps.
   Scott makes the path to success more important than the destination and I agree with that idea. SO today I have decided not to quit but to continue because I too love the path & still have the passion although I’ll have to travel along my path a little slower.
   “Your dreams can’t be lived in the future, they must be experienced now.” Scott H Young
   My 2 Cents

   Comment by AllyM — April 8, 2011 @ 12:00 pm

3. 

   I find it quite fascinating that your post today is about quitting. I’ve actually been struggling quite a bit lately if I should just quit my writing course or if I take a little longer of a leave and then attempt to attack it later. I know you’ve been encouraging us to set goals and just make up our minds, but I’ve been so deaf until I started to read from Write free by Rebecca Lawton and Jordan Rosenfeld. They talk much about feelings – it was if a hand slapped me (very hard) on the back as a booming voice shouted in my ear ‘wake up!’ Feelings – why do I write? How does it make me feel? How do I feel about others in my writing circle? Are there changes I need to make in my life? I decided (and this may be easier said than done), I will graciously accept meaningful criticism and ignore the ‘I thinks’’ that everybody is always offering AND I will continue to write because I like that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with the pride in the small accomplishments (such as editing 5 pages before the baby wakes up). If everything associated with writing makes an individual grumpy then why are they doing it? Writing is not the only form of creative energy – perhaps they should pick up a paint brush and give it a try! If that is what works, I wouldn’t call it ‘quitting’ I’d call it ‘creative changes.’

   Comment by Andrea — April 8, 2011 @ 2:30 pm

4. 

   I loved all the comments–and thank you for sharing. I was gone for a while and away from the Internet, so just saw these. Great thoughts–full of lots of meat and truth.

   Comment by Kristi Holl — April 12, 2011 @ 3:49 am

5. 

   I found your post and the article you linked to very helpful. I am definitely not quitting my goal of becoming a writer, but I have had to learn to concentrate my efforts on what brings me pleasure and meaning. There are many paths to becoming a writer, but if you don’t enjoy the journey, it’s not really worth it. I do believe if you stick with your dream you will eventually be successful, but not necessarily in the way you expect. Not everyone becomes rich and famous, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t find your niche and make a difference to others.

   Comment by Maranda Russell — April 14, 2011 @ 11:37 am

6. 

   I totally agree with the blogger’s POV. When I was an adivser to college students, I cautioned them not to choose a major based on what they thought might make them rich or successful. I’ve known a number of people who got their degree and hated the work it led to. Life is way too short to spend it doing something goal-based when the journey or the process itself is not enjoyable.

   Comment by Judy Dearborn Nill — April 14, 2011 @ 4:33 pm

7. 

   Kristie:
   I am so glad that you directed me to that article. I’m a graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature and I had a contract for my first article before I finished the course. Then I started working on and completed a novel length manuscript, then a novella, and then a short story. From the time I started the course until now has been about three years. During the past three years I have worked full time, and spent at a minimum 4 hours every single Saturday and Sunday and some evenings writing. My goal was to one day be able to make enough money at writing and quit my job and just write. My wife and I went through our finances and sadly have concluded that unless I am very lucky, I will not be able to quit my job if we want to be able to eat during retirement. This had me wondering if I should quit, until I read that article. It’s the writing I love. That fact that I have completed a novel, even if it hasn’t been published yet, is an accomplishment that I’m proud of and receive great praise from my family and friends for. When my 20-year-old nephew, who doesn’t like to read, read my novella and filled it with his comments and made a special trip to see me to let me know how much he liked the story, it made my day. For me, the journey is enough, but hey, I could still get a big book/movie deal. People win the lottery too.

   Comment by Doug Shearer — April 15, 2011 @ 9:51 am

8. 

   Thank you all for the additional comments. I’ve been gone for days, but am enjoying finally reading all the ideas, feedback, and reactions. I’m so glad not to be in this alone! This is obviously an issue that plagues us all from time to time.

   Comment by Kristi Holl — April 16, 2011 @ 6:18 pm

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Leave a comment

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website