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No Matter What Happens, Never Stop Writing
Not ever
It’s not breaking news that at numerous points during your life as a writer you’ll want to just give up and do something less frustrating, like collecting stamps or grooming feral cats. That is totally normal and common to all of us, even someone as famous and prolific as Stephen King (his wife rescued the manuscript of Carrie from the trash when he threw it away after three pages).
The typical advice you’ll receive from books on writing and at writing seminars is “just keep at it,” which is about as useful as “thoughts and prayers” after a mass shooting. When you’ve stared at a blank page for three weeks or had 12 views and earned a total of 75 cents for an article you spent three days crafting, “just keep at it” is likely to just piss you off. At that point, the only thing you want to just keep at is being curled into the fetal position in the corner of your bedroom.
That said, quitting isn’t an option, as every writer who has tried knows all too well. I’m not talking about someone who took up writing because they thought it would be a good way to get rich and famous without having to work that hard; people like this were never really writers to begin with. I’m talking about all of you who have to write, the same way you have to eat or breathe or listen to Springsteen. You may consider quitting, may even…
