Don't Give Up

You know those days when you wonder why you're writing? You wonder what's the point, if your story's never going to be polished enough to be published, if your characters aren't coming across on the page as they live in your head. You're moments away from trashing your manuscript or work in progress and quitting altogether.

I have three words for you: don't do it.

Even if no one reads your work, even if writing is hard right now, or you don't think your story's going anywhere, don't give up. Writing is a process of the soul. It can be cathartic, and you can write yourself in and out of moods if you pay attention. Your story needs to be told, even if it's just in your notebook or on your computer. It doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to be yours.

One of my favorite authors, Gail Carson Levine, tells us to never get rid of any of our writing. Save everything so you can go back and see how much you've improved, or pull an old idea and rework it. I'm a big believer in this. Everything you write is a part of you; it's like pouring your imagination onto the page. If you get rid of it, it's like throwing your very ideas away. No idea is bad enough to deserve that.

When I was in this position a few months ago--ready to trash everything I'd ever written and pretend I was content doing something less creative--a friend sent me maybe the most inspiring thing I've ever seen. It's a website that lists the failures and successes of all of these people we all know: Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Frank Sinatra, Dr. Seuss. None of them gave up; why would you?