Writers are often asked questions that they'd rather avoid. Things like Have you published a book yet? Why haven't you published a book? Why do you bother to write; you seldom sell anything? Maybe you're wasting your time writing. It's been years and you haven't accomplished much--no bestseller.
It's the non-writers who ask questions like this. Their attitude is often one that shows they have little understanding of what the writing journey is all about. Some non-writers think we sit down, whip out a story or essay and send it to an editor and they whoop and holler about its greatness and send a check. Wouldn't that be nice?
Non-writers don't have any idea of how many times a piece is written and rewritten before it is ever submitted. Nor are they aware of the number of times a writer submits the same story until it finally gets published or ends up gathering dust in the writer's files.
Non-writers have no realization of what it's like to be rejected multiple times. Even when we have the joy of being published, we still have to deal with the things that never made it. Yes, we learn to deal with rejection but it is still hurtful, defeating and darned frustrating.
Non-writers have no idea how long we mull over an idea for a story before we ever write the first line. A writer's mind is always working on a new writing project. I once wrote (mentally) an entire story while attending a symphony performance. I could see it in my head from start to finish. I did write it and the story has been published more than once. No one in that audience would have had any clue that I was writing a story in my head while enjoying the magnificent music.
Non-writers have no idea how many books on writing we read, the number of conferences we attend to learn more about our field or the amount of time we spend critiquing the work of other writers.
Non-writers cannot understand the passion we writers have for our chosen path. It's too hard to explain to anyone. It must be felt and only the writer can do that.
Family members of writers can sometimes be the harshest critics. Not all, of course. Some families are extremely proud of the writer in their midst. Those who are the critical ones can put a writer down in subtle ways or worse. That hurts.
As our poster today tells us, not everyone will understand the journey we are on. And that's alright. It's not their journey. It's ours. If you and I feel good about what we're doing, that's all that is necessary. Be your own cheerleader if you want to. If you are happy with being a writer, keep putting one foot in front of the other on that path. You're not writing for your family or your friends or the guy next door. You're doing it for yourself and for what you can offer to the world through the words you put together. Be proud of what you do.
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