Being a writer isn’t easy. Being a creative in general isn’t easy. It’s one thing when you’re creating stuff for your eyes only, but when you decide to put your sweat, blood, and tears out into the world, everything changes.
I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I’ve always wanted to be published. Except for one time, close to ten years ago. I made the mistake of reading through a first draft I’d just finished. I thought this draft was complete and utter TRASH. I thought it was great. Amazing. The book I would put out into the world. And then I started reading it and discovered a huge plot hole in the second chapter. I realized I’d have to rewrite the whole book.
For whatever reason, this realization shattered me, even though I’d been writing for years. This realization broke me. I decided I wasn’t a good writer and I wasn’t meant to be published one day. And then I went down into a black hole of depression, because if I wasn’t writing, what was I doing? Writing was my life. My main motivator. What else could I do?
I spent a full week untethered and at a loss of what do do with my life. Then, one day, I woke up and wanted to write again. I decided that just because one book wasn’t great, didn’t mean the others I had written were awful, too. It didn’t mean all the future books I wrote would be bad. So I slowly started writing again, which boosted my spirits and here I am today, with four books out in the world and working on another that I plan to publish.
What’s the point of this story, you ask?
Don’t give up.
Even when it gets hard.
Even when you think you’re the worst writer in the world.
You’re not.
Everything can be improved with editing.