While reading John Gardner he said something interesting. If writing novels was declared illegal, would you quit? I believe what he was getting at is why do you write. Is it for fame, money, or are you driven by something you can't explain.
I've written about how I decided to quit and for nearly six months I didn't write but that didn't keep the stories from circling in my head. Reading this made me think about so many friends who have written and who stopped. They weren't writing because they loved words and putting them together. One stopped writing because she received a nasty review. Another quit because she received no takers from editors. I returned because my life felt empty because the characters were missing from my head.
For me writing is a compulsion. I need to know the people in my head and see them on paper. Ky husband, the psychiatrist, says I have an obsession he has no intention of curing.
What is your reason for writing? Would you quit if your stories weren't bought? Would you quit if reviewers trashed your books? Would you quit if writing novels was declared illegal?
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Would you quit if your stories weren't bought? Would you quit if reviewers trashed your books? Would you quit if writing novels was declared illegal?
1. No. But I would drop out of all the writing groups, loops and organizations I belong to.
2. No. I would stop reading reviews.
3. On the advice of counsel I refuse to testify on the grounds.... (Wait. No. Not that one) ... I will go read the 1st Amendment again.
1)I'd stick to short stories. It takes me a long time to write a novel -years
2)no - I would stop reading reviews.
3)no - there is a nice floor board I could hide my pages in
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