How Do You Know When to Quit?

Susan Gable · Apr 20, 2009

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/...hen-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 · Apr 20, 2009

Susan Gable said:
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 · Apr 20, 2009

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 · Apr 20, 2009

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.

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

Adam · Apr 20, 2009

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.

Interesting article, though.

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

Patrice · Apr 20, 2009

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.)

Mr Flibble · Apr 20, 2009

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 · Apr 20, 2009

Hi Patrice. Welcome and congratulations.

Arkie · Apr 20, 2009

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 · Apr 20, 2009

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 · Apr 20, 2009

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 · Apr 20, 2009

IdiotsRUs said:
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?

Susan Gable · Apr 20, 2009

Patrice said:
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 · Apr 20, 2009

Susan Gable said:
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 · Apr 20, 2009

Susan Gable said:
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.

Mr Flibble · Apr 20, 2009

Namatu said:
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 · Apr 20, 2009

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

You should read The Diving Bell and the Butterfly or see the movie. The guy writes a book by blinking. Who need your hands?

GordonK · Apr 20, 2009

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 · Apr 20, 2009

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 · Apr 20, 2009

Bubastes said:
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 · Apr 20, 2009

General Tso said:
You should read The Diving Bell and the Butterfly 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."

scarletpeaches · Apr 20, 2009

Adzmodeus said:
I shall rephrase based on this new information.

Ahem.

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

You could dictate to a secretary.

Straka · Apr 20, 2009

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 · Apr 20, 2009

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

I lasted three days.

Yeah, I'm a writer.

Adam · Apr 20, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
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!

How Do You Know When to Quit?

Dreamer of dreams, teller of tales

Lost in mental space.

practical experience, FTW

Not dead.

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

Slave to the Wordcount

a reader's ear and a writer's heart

The grad students did it

fixing a limp query...

Dreamer of dreams, teller of tales

Lost in mental space.

bananaed

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

you know you want some

Smile.

Lost in mental space.

Not dead.

Bored Fanatic

Not dead.