Sometimes I feel like quitting...
October 4, 2010
Today's not that day, by the way. But I think long-time readers of this blog (both of you!) realize that I go through moods where fiction writing is concerned where I wonder why I'm bothering. It's not the money. It's not fame, such as it is (don't have it and don't want it).
A friend of mine commented to me yesterday that things like writing novels must be "a labor of love."
I suppose so. I know there's an addictive quality to writing fiction. I like being the first person to "know" this particular story. I'm exploring ideas and events that are important and/or of interest to me. I suppose I "have something to say." Or there's some level of communication going on, sharing my stories with other ideas.
And I would point out that although I go through funks about writing fiction, I've been writing it something like 25 years now and there's no real sign I'm going to quit. Maybe "do as I do, not as I say" is right. Or, "do as I do, not as I feel."
Because when it comes down to it, I haven't quit yet.
posted by Mark Terry at 6:22 AM
4 Comments:
Mark, I feel you on the "not feeling like writing." Sometimes I go through periods where I feel like there's no real point to doing all this. No one reads what I write, no one cares to talk about the craft (at least no one in my circle of friends that I talk to every day), no one is interested in books like I am...
I'll admit that sometimes I even quit writing for a month or so just because I need to restart, recharge, whatever you might call it. A friend says that sometimes I need to hook up to the Rejuvination Machine occasionally.
Keep your head up. And I'm proud to be one of the two people who read you regularly.
There are days when I'd like a nice, physical job, where I don't have to wrestle against my attention span. I fantasize often, but the pay sucks. Also, I dream of paychecks that arrive regularly, of just having to do a job and not having to develop a business.
But given I've only managed a real day job for about six months, I apparently like just indulging in the fantasy. :-)
There are times I wonder if I should quit and stop fooling myself, but I never actually feel like quitting.
I've been on the verge of quitting since I was 20!
Post a Comment
<< Home