Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Wednesday Writers Weigh In: What if the Answer is No?

This has been a really stressful few weeks for me and I apologize for not posting in over a week without notice.  Truth be told, I had a few personal and family matters to attend to and when it came down to it, I had to prioritize.  I felt like a sinking ship and I needed to bail out some water in order to stay afloat.  So yes...my writing took a hit.

But here I am!  I am back and slowly climbing back and getting on the right track.

Now for today's Wednesday Writer's Weigh In, which stems from my experiences these past few weeks. When faced with some realy tough "life stuff" we can find ourselves questioning what we do and why we do it.

Therefore, if you could see the future and know that you would NEVER be published, would you continue to write anyway?

Go on writers...Weigh In!

13 comments:

  1. I would. I do. Writers write. It would be nice if the writing paid the bills, but it seems like everyone thinks they are a writer. But ultimately, writers write. Illustrators play with colors, shades, and lots of trash!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Like Louise, I would. I HOPE to be published one day, but I have written for pleasure for years and would continue to in one form or another. Hope your days take you to a better place in the coming weeks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I would, I would, and while I would still want to get to know many other illustrators and writers, I would scale back all the effort I put into platform building!

    Hope you feel the boat is back on an even keel now, Marcie?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would continue to write but I wouldn't bother with platform building nor would I write an entire series. Writing a novel is hard and I wouldn't bother putting myself through countless revisions if the story was never going to be published or enjoyed by others? Marcie do take care! :) My new blog can be found at www.renajtraxelblog.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. That's an interesting question, Marcie. I think the aspirational hope to be published is an important part of the mix, so I might not write as much. That would give me more time to focus on other goals. But I think researching and writing keep me curious. Since I write nonfiction, when I am researching and writing, it's like taking a class on the subject matter. I think I would always have that curiosity even if I weren't published. I'd probably focus on communicating my discoveries through my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I consider story telling an art form. I'm an artist. Stories are always told in my art pieces. I consider a book to be a most beautiful art form. Therefore, if I were never published, it wouldn't matter. I would still make books and then, I'd self publish.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yes, I would still write. Something. Because I'm a writer and writer's write.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I would definitely still write! Publishing is the dream, but writing is the drive, the desire, the need. I write to put my thoughts and stories on paper, so even if it never got published I'm still being true to myself by writing. =)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I would still write, for sure!
    In fact, I have a HUGE document on my computer entitled "Stuff that needs to be saved" that will never get published but is almost a million words! All my angst filled poetry, ridiculous stories and trials and tribulations through high school and college. It's great to look back on and be able to laugh at myself and to remember how big of a deal something like a bad blind date was!

    When digging through all of that and laughing, I came across some wisdom from my 19 year old self:

    "I have to write; I don't want to be a writer, it's what I am. What do I do when I'm upset? Write. What do I do when I'm happy? Write. And isn't life always somewhere in between both? So I'll write and a be a writer, even if no one knows."

    So look! I answered your question 10 years ago!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yes, I would still write and illustrate. It's what I love to do! I hope things are back on an even keel for you :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I believe so. It's like stand-up comedy: You need somebody in the audience or else the joke's on you. That sounded cheesy. Well, at least somebody read it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Absolutely I would. No doubt. Publication is just the icing on the cake. Writing brings so much into my life, I could never be without it.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great question, and my answer is YES! For me writing is a joy in and of itself. A joy, that's too easily forgotten in the hum-bum of marketing, submitting, and etc.

    ReplyDelete