How Do You Know When to Quit?

[Susan Gable]

I came across this blog post today, and thought it was worth sharing here.

It's about deciding when to quit this crazy pursuit of being a published writer.

It's not all doom-and-gloom, it's pretty realistic.

Have a read, and let's discuss:

http://www.murderati.com/blog/2009/4/19/how-do-you-know-when-to-quit.html?lastPage=true#comment3763222

one thing she says:



we’d all secretly like the trip to success to be just that simple: show up. But it’s not that simple. It’s not always easy. It’s hard work, it’s perseverance, it’s making sure you’ve got the goods when the opportunity comes along.

Hard work. Yes, it is. That's what seperates the men from the boys, as it were.

I think there was a recent discussion around here about people being impatient -- hence the reason places like PublishAmerica do such a brisk business.

Do you agree? Is that because sometimes people don't want to put in the hard work part of getting published?

Susan G. - who's hit a few hard patches with this stuff. thought she quit at least once for good, and yet, just sent in a new set of proposals today.

[Namatu]

I think there was a recent discussion around here about people being impatient -- hence the reason places like PublishAmerica do such a brisk business.

Do you agree? Is that because sometimes people don't want to put in the hard work part of getting published?Sometimes people don't want to put in the work. Sometimes people don't understand the work required. Sometimes they don't have the talent or ability to get noticed. In our eagerness to achieve our goals, we can overlook that certain skills need development, that maybe we're not ready.

That doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

I found this passage from the blog most apt.
You quit when you want something else, more. You quit when you have another dream that means more to you.

It doesn't matter if your skills need work or, as the blog author relays, you've received a thousand or more rejections. If writing is what drives you, if your goal is to see your work in print, keep after it until you find you want something else more. By "keep after it," I mean keep learning, keep fine-tuning, keep improving. It's not just a matter of querying until you've run out of agents and then starting over again hoping your luck will change. It's never easy.

[scarletpeaches]

Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never.

And just in case you didn't get that:

NEVER.

[firedrake]

There are days when I come on here and I see people are getting agents, requests for fulls, etc and I look at my empty in-box and wonder why I'm trying. Then I kick myself in the arse and tell myself that it will take time.
I know my writing is sound, it's just a matter of finding an agent who likes the story that I'm telling.

If I don't get anywhere with the first book, the second one is nearly ready to roll. If that falls on its face I have 3, 4 and 5 waiting in the wings. :D

So, no, I'm not giving up. Writing is what I do.

[Adam]

When my hands fall off, I'll think about it. :)

The more people that give up, the larger my market share becomes... or will become when I'm pubbed. :D

Interesting article, though.

Edit - Should have said "if" my hands fall off, really.

[Patrice]

I used to wonder what I would do if I quit writing. I'd read more, definitely. Maybe watch more TV. But I couldn't figure out what I would do with all that free time. So I kept on writing, and sold short stories and eventually my first and second novel.

(Hi everybody. I'm new. This is my very first post.)

[IdiotsRUs]

I'd give up for one reason, and one only.

When my brain stops finding making up stories about imaginary friends fun.

That's it.

So , yeah, when I start dribbling and wearing my knickers on my head as a fashion accessory, then I'll give up

[WildScribe]

Hi Patrice. Welcome and congratulations. :)

[Arkie]

I received my first rejection in 1967 and rejections are all I've received since, except for a sidetrack through Publish America. Got another rejection last week. I'm querying three novels now, we'll see.

[NeuroFizz]

When I find I can no longer face the challenge of chasing excellence, when I no longer want to keep learning to move in that direction, or when I can't see the value in pursuing something that can never be caught. In other words, when that pursuit ceases to be fun and/or rewarding. Excellence itself is not a overt reward because it is always out of reach, but the continual improvement seen in chasing it certainly can be rewarding.

[KosseMix]

When the dream of seeing my book on a bookstore shelf no longer outweighs the blood, tears, and sweat involved in getting it there.

[scarletpeaches]

I'd give up for one reason, and one only.

When my brain stops finding making up stories about imaginary friends fun.

That's it.

So , yeah, when I start dribbling and wearing my knickers on my head as a fashion accessory, then I'll give up

Wibble?:D

[Susan Gable]

I used to wonder what I would do if I quit writing. I'd read more, definitely. Maybe watch more TV. But I couldn't figure out what I would do with all that free time.

I'd wonder what to do with all the voices and stories in my head. They medicate non-writers for that sort of stuff. <G>

And I used to be okay with just letting the stories play out in my head, but now that the stories have learned they can ESCAPE from my head by having me write them...well, neither the stories nor I will be happy with just having them run around in my head now.

(Hi everybody. I'm new. This is my very first post.)

Welcome aboard! Glad to have you here!

Susan G.

[Namatu]

I'd wonder what to do with all the voices and stories in my head. They medicate non-writers for that sort of stuff. <G>This is why we must continue to write. Medication will stop the voices? The horror.

[Bubastes]

I'd wonder what to do with all the voices and stories in my head. They medicate non-writers for that sort of stuff. <G>

And I used to be okay with just letting the stories play out in my head, but now that the stories have learned they can ESCAPE from my head by having me write them...well, neither the stories nor I will be happy with just having them run around in my head now.


Yes, now that the stories know they can escape and be experienced by others, there's no shutting them up.

I've been told that some people don't hear voices, even without medication. Is that true? I can't relate. It's a damn chat room inside my head.

[IdiotsRUs]

This is why we must continue to write. Medication will stop the voices? The horror.


Yes it does. And I missed them so much I stopped taking the medication.


<--- Addicted to voices

[General Tso]

When my hands fall off, I'll think about it. :)
You should read The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (http://www.amazon.com/Diving-Bell-Butterfly-Memoir-Death/dp/0375701214) or see the movie. The guy writes a book by blinking. Who need your hands?

[GordonK]

You know it's time to quit when:

Your dad calls you and yells "Don't send me your craps anymore. How many times do I have to tell you that being told a lie and getting laid are totally different?"
Later that night your hubby sighs, "Honey, I've to admit, I've been lying to you for forty years. I really hate reading your stuff. Can't you have another starting line than 'When Sally meets Harry, she knows she has found her destiny'?"
In the morning, your dog starts talking in human language, "Ma'am, forgive me if I'm asking a stupid question, but why do you have everyone in your stories called Harry, even the squirrel, even the mermaid?"

OR

You realize that playing computer/video games four hours a day/night is more thrilling and satisfying than writing.

OR

You're unpublished. You firmly believe your first novel will be accepted by the first agent you query, then sold to Random House the next morning with a million-dollar advance. The following month your novel will become NYT best seller. You'll make millions in royalties. Steven Spielberg will call you up wanting to adapt your book into a $200mil-budget movie. You'll be invited to all sorts of conferences and celebrity parties. You will host talk shows on ABC, NBC, and CBS. YOU WILL NOT SETTLE FOR ANYTHING LESS.

[roonil_wazlib]

I've been writing so long I can't even imagine a day where I DON'T write. Granted, most of it is probably crap, but I enjoy doing it and if a day has gone by where I haven't written, I probably had food posioning.

[Namatu]

I've been told that some people don't hear voices, even without medication. Is that true? I can't relate. It's a damn chat room inside my head.For awhile, long ago, I thought I should "grow up" and stop talking to the people in my head. What a long dry spell that was. The imaginary people still talked, and eventually I decided I didn't want to grow up. It's much more fun to play pretend.

[Adam]

You should read The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (http://www.amazon.com/Diving-Bell-Butterfly-Memoir-Death/dp/0375701214) or see the movie. The guy writes a book by blinking. Who need your hands?

I shall rephrase based on this new information.

Ahem.

"When my hands, feet, and eyelids fall off, I'll think about it."

:D

[scarletpeaches]

I shall rephrase based on this new information.

Ahem.

"When my hands, feet, and eyelids fall off, I'll think about it."

:D

You could dictate to a secretary.

[Straka]

Besides my head exploding, I honestly have no idea what I do with myself if I quit writing. At this point its more than a hobby. Sounds dumb but its a lifestyle? Moderate obsession? Temperate fanaticism? Whatever it is, I do it for 3-4 hours a day.

[scarletpeaches]

After I finished my previous WIP I promised myself a few weeks off.

I lasted three days.

Yeah, I'm a writer.

[Adam]

You could dictate to a secretary.

Durn it!

I'll just say "now that I've started, it's unlikely I'll ever stop writing."

Ha, mess with that one!

[drachin8]

I used to wonder what I would do if I quit writing. I'd read more, definitely. Maybe watch more TV. But I couldn't figure out what I would do with all that free time. So I kept on writing, and sold short stories and eventually my first and second novel.

(Hi everybody. I'm new. This is my very first post.)

Heh, I just wanted to pop in off topic and say welcome, Patrice! I just finished reading Gordath Wood the other day and was very impressed. Great first novel.

I guess since I am here, I might as well pop an on topic remark in as well (why the heck not?).

When will I quit? When I find something else to do with my writing time which fulfills me more. I haven't found such a thing yet, but I'm not the kind of gal to say such a thing will never happen.


:)

-Michelle

[Delhomeboy]

You're unpublished. You firmly believe your first novel will be accepted by the first agent you query, then sold to Random House the next morning with a million-dollar advance. The following month your novel will become NYT best seller. You'll make millions in royalties. Steven Spielberg will call you up wanting to adapt your book into a $200mil-budget movie. You'll be invited to all sorts of conferences and celebrity parties. You will host talk shows on ABC, NBC, and CBS. YOU WILL NOT SETTLE FOR ANYTHING LESS.

Aw, maaaaaaan.... :cry:

[Ken Schneider]

Woody Hayes Ohio State football coach once said, "Anything easy ain't worth a damn."

This Story shows that the writer wanted something,(to be published) so bad that see never even thought about quiting her passion.

To me it all comes down to, how bad do you want it? How much do you love it? Why do I want (it)?

Some think they want (it). Then, find that it's more work than their desire to have (it).

Those who love (it) first, find what they seek in time.

Real dreams, the dreams you've always had tucked away deep in your soul are the dreams that have passion and drive and love bound to them.

I know this post sounds terribly cryptic, but to me it makes perfect sense.

Ken

[Gynn]

Quit? Do you think I have a choice as to whether or not I write?

[Krisela]

Sometimes I've taken breaks from writing, when I feel my work is becoming stale, and I'm lacking in inspiration and time to devote to it. Once I stopped writing for nearly a year. But I was never quitting, and I knew it. Writing is what I do, what I am, and whatever else I do with my life I will always be a writer. It's the job you can't resign from! :D

[Brindle Chase]

Good article...

My honest opinion is that if you feel like quitting... you should... I write because I love it... once the love is gone (and that day may come) ... then I will quit. But for no other reason will I ever consider it.

If I never get published... I will write. If I do get published... I will write. If writing becomes anything less than an absolute pleasure... I will likely abandon it for something that is! =)

[DeleyanLee]

When my hands fall off, I'll think about it. :)


I shall rephrase based on this new information.

Ahem.

"When my hands, feet, and eyelids fall off, I'll think about it."

:D

Whereas my first thought was: Voice-Recognition software. ;)

I think there's a base difference between the dream of getting published (I still have that) and the NEED to get published (which I used to suffer from and see so many in the throes of).

Somehow publication has become the only vindication our society (or is it just us writers?) will recognize for the hours composing words, ignoring everyone else, happily listening to the voices in our heads and letting us play in our little worlds. Publication was going to solve all my problems when I was young--from money to socialization to ensuring a wonderful future for my kids. I needed to get published to prove to my disbelieving friends, my dismissive family that the one thing I was good at was actually worth something.

Giving up that need for publication was difficult. I cherished and nourished it for over twenty years. Yet, in all that time, I got rejection after rejection and plunged into all types of depression, including the suicidal kinds, but I clung stubbornly to the dream that the writing would pay off. Desperate pride kept me from learning the skills and most of the techniques I needed to overcome the slew of personalized rejection letters.

I'm more than 30 years after my first rejection letter. I still entertain the dream of my grandmother being able to walk into her supermarket and seeing my book on the racks (my personal definition of "published"). It's fun to dream, but it's not a need anymore.

When do I give up the dream? I don't think I ever will. I might redefine what I think of as "published" in the future, but I'd prefer not to. Not when I finally am doing the work I should've done decades ago and starting to see some of the results on the page. I'm too blasted stubborn to give it up now. LOL!

[SarahMacManus]

I took one hell of a sabbatical from writing fiction (about 12 years), but I don't think I've ever "quit".

[jy'lenn]

I did, truly, stop writing for about four years. I started again after why daughter was born. Why? No idea what to write and life was more important than writing. Now, I find writing to be an outlet again.

So, I can see what people would stop writing, but I also think there has to be more to the reason than "I've been rejected x-many times". Now, I keep getting one idea after another and I think I'd go clinically crazy (I'm crazy, but not THAT bad yet!) if I didn't write!

besides, where else can you kill and torture everyone you hate legally? ;):D

[BravoYankee]

Ever since I started writing almost two years ago, I've found my stress level has gone down DRASTICALLY! I'm working on a Masters degree, but when I tell people how much I write, they always ask the same thing, "where do you find the time?!" Its a very simple answer.

I make the time.

Ever since I started, I found it takes less effort to focus, study, and do well in my classes... its a very fascinating phenomena. I don't know if it has anything to do with my writing or that I'm growing up (I always was a slow starter), but until I disprove its not the writing, there's no way I'll stop. Published or no.

[Cranky]

Yes, now that the stories know they can escape and be experienced by others, there's no shutting them up.

I've been told that some people don't hear voices, even without medication. Is that true? I can't relate. It's a damn chat room inside my head.

Oiy. I don't hear voices. At all. Lessen' you're counting my own, that is. :D

More seriously, I can't imagine what I'd do when I inevitably get stuck with an idea. Right now, my first thought is...OMG, I have to write that down. Then I start scheming and all that.

I would be seriously deflated if that happened and my next thought was, "Oh. Well, doesn't matter, since I'm not writing anymore."

It's too strange to contemplate for long, honestly.

[deserata]

I couldn't dream of quitting! It's those "toxins" Ray Bradbury talked about...the "toxins" will get to me!

You know you are passionate about something when you feel like you will shrivel up and die without it...even if it's hard work, even if you face a lot of discouragement. People who give up on writing must have not wanted (read: needed) it badly enough.....or, I guess, they got really jaded and convinced themselves that they could never be a writer...

[ad_lucem]

You know it's time to quit when:

Your dad calls you and yells "Don't send me your craps anymore. How many times do I have to tell you that being told a lie and getting laid are totally different?"
Later that night your hubby sighs, "Honey, I've to admit, I've been lying to you for forty years. I really hate reading your stuff. Can't you have another starting line than 'When Sally meets Harry, she knows she has found her destiny'?"
In the morning, your dog starts talking in human language, "Ma'am, forgive me if I'm asking a stupid question, but why do you have everyone in your stories called Harry, even the squirrel, even the mermaid?"

OR

You realize that playing computer/video games four hours a day/night is more thrilling and satisfying than writing.

OR

You're unpublished. You firmly believe your first novel will be accepted by the first agent you query, then sold to Random House the next morning with a million-dollar advance. The following month your novel will become NYT best seller. You'll make millions in royalties. Steven Spielberg will call you up wanting to adapt your book into a $200mil-budget movie. You'll be invited to all sorts of conferences and celebrity parties. You will host talk shows on ABC, NBC, and CBS. YOU WILL NOT SETTLE FOR ANYTHING LESS.


Yeah? So? I don't really see what you're getting at ;)

Seriously, I won't quit writing. NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER SURRENDER!

But, I'm not sure if I would want to get published or noticed on a GRANDE scale.

I'm a really weird person. I don't want people knowing how weird I am. That would just be creepy.:e2chain:

[Shamisen]

When I die. And even then, if my significant other doesn't sweat his boy-bits off trying to get the Adventures of Smurt, Snitch and Dervel published then he can expect to be on the sticky end of a ghostly hissy-fit.

[Enzo]

Quit?

I can't imagine quitting. I've been writing consistently now for at least 3 years - more if you include attempts at screenwriting - but I love it so much. Even though nobody was interested in publishing my first WIP a year ago, I'm near completion on the second, preparing the third, writing for NaNo, ScriptFrenzy, Debut Daggers.
And I still can't get enough. I can only have two days in a row without writing when I'm on a foreign holiday, and that doesn't happen too often.
I just can't imagine not writing anymore, though the format might change.

[Patrice]

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

[Patrice]

thanks for the kind welcome, everyone!

[dgrintalis]

I'll never quit. Whether it's poetry or a novel or just random musings in a Word doc entitled Writing, I will never, ever stop writing.

[SPMiller]

Unlike most AW users, I intend to quit working hard at writing if I haven't gotten published by my early 30s. That's at least five years from now.

Should that happen, I'll try again after I've accumulated whatever life experience I need.

[Cranky]

Unlike most AW users, I intend to quit working hard at writing if I haven't gotten published by my early 30s. That's at least five years from now.

Should that happen, I'll try again after I've accumulated whatever life experience I need.

That's not quitting. That's taking a sabbatical. :D I did the same thing at your age. Too many kids, too much career, not enough room for stories then.

[fringle]

I think about quitting every afternoon and get back to work every morning.

[talcon811]

I don't think I could quit anymore. I've been playing around with characters in my head for as long as I can remember when I really, really, really wanted to go to the land of Oz. And then I figured out I could make up my own land of Oz.

Writing for me is two-fold. First there's the fun of talking with my characters when I'm bored walking the dog, stuck in traffic or can't fall asleep. Second, there's the fun of word choice and moving that sentence here and taking that scene out and would this scene be better from the other character's POV?

There's the fun of creating and then the fun of actually writing. I don't think I could quit either.

[Judg]

Still and all, I think there is a time for quitting. And I think she said it very well. You quit when you have a bigger dream.

I didn't write for years, although it was always in the back of my mind. I had other stuff to do that was more important. And creative stuff for me requires a lot of free time for things to marinate.

But when I was more or less finished with the other things, I looked around and said, "Hey, I can write now." So I did. And I will keep writing until I have something bigger and better to do. So I'll probably be writing for the rest of my life. And I'm very cool with that.

[Tanya Egan Gibson]

I'm seconding (thirding? fourthing?) the idea that there's nothing wrong with quitting writing if it's taking time away from something that means more to you. You don't get a merit badge for keeping at it if the process isn't (at least some of the time) enjoyable!

I know publication is, for most people, the goal, the dream. But if you aren't having fun in the process of striving for that goal, it's not worth it. If, on the other hand, you find yourself entranced by the process, you won't quit anyway. Why would you -- you're having fun!

[James D. Macdonald]

How do you know when to quit?

Answer this question: Are you enjoying what you're doing?

A) No.
Quit right now.

B) Yes.

When they carry you out feet-first.

There, that was easy, wasn't it?

[seun]

Quit writing? I thought about that once and Cort said to me:

"You have forgotten the face of your father, maggot."*




*Guess the reference and win a prize.

[Rushie]

Quit? I only just started. I'm giving myself 40 years to get published. I'll be 92 in 40 years so if I live that long and I'm still unpublished, yeah maybe I'll quit.

[aadams73]

Quitting is for quitters! :D

[Delhomeboy]

Quit writing? I thought about that once and Cort said to me:

"You have forgotten the face of your father, maggot."*




*Guess the reference and win a prize.

Stephen King, The Dark Tower Part 4: Wizard and Glass.

La-la-la-la.

[seun]

Stephen King, The Dark Tower Part 4: Wizard and Glass.

La-la-la-la.

I would have accepted just about any DT book. Either way, have a rep.

[Delhomeboy]

I would have accepted just about any DT book. Either way, have a rep.

Woot!!!!

[Jeremy]

While I love writing, and have loved it for years, I still have doubts that nag me about whether or not I should be doing it. I haven’t even finished a novel yet, but I am competent enough to realize that my work isn’t even in the ball park of my favorite authors.

Nevertheless, I work on it and I am always trying to learn more about making my work better because I do love it. Still, there is that ever lingering doubt that I’m delusional to think that I could get anywhere with my writing. That I would be something like Nick Zitzmann (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAHLTXKa1_I). (I bring this up because of the link in the article, which this is a stark contrast to).

In another video made by Nick (Click Here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQrjjEhKU5o&feature=related)) he defends himself, his singing abilities, and his portrayal on American Idol. To me, it seems like he still feels that he could make a living as an entertainer of some sorts and really wasn’t given a fair shot. Yet, with just how bad he did on American Idol, I think he’s not in touch with reality to think that he could actually sing well enough to get paid to do it.

So where is the line between persevering and being tenacious because you haven’t gotten your break (Susan Boyle) and in desperate need of a reality check (Nick Zitzmann)?

Even though I work on improving my writing to the point that I hope I am in the latter group, I still wonder if I could be a Nick Zitzmann and be delusional about how good I am and how far I could make it as a writer. So again, where is that line? And if you cross it, should you quit?

[Judg]

Jeremy, there are no easy answers to that. If I compare myself to my favourite authors, I despair. I really like quality. But if I compare myself to a lot of the published stuff out there, I think I stand a decent chance. They might not be teaching my books in English classes 200 years hence, but I think I can produce something good enough to justify the time spent reading it at least.

The fact that you are even asking these questions, and looking for ways to improve, is probably a good indication that you're not delusional. Get feedback and critiques, submit to paying markets and see what happens. I think part of the reason Susan Boyle did persevere and had the confidence to say that she would rock the audience, is that she had experience with smaller audiences.

[Patrice]

[quote=Jeremy;3518033]While I love writing, and have loved it for years, I still have doubts that nag me about whether or not I should be doing it. I haven’t even finished a novel yet, but I am competent enough to realize that my work isn’t even in the ball park of my favorite authors.

The way I look at it, do you take enjoyment from the journey? If so, keep on traveling.

[mario_c]

You could dictate to a secretary.Two words: voice recognition.

So when will I give up? When I'm done.