"There's way too much pain in this business for anyone who doesn't have to write. I always tell beginning writers, "If you can quit, then quit. If you can't quit, you're a writer." I'm not being facetious. The idea that writing is a way to get something else, be it fame or fortune, is ludicrous. The odds are astounding, and I'd wager they're even more astounding against someone who doesn't love the power of the word."
What, if anything, would make you quit writing? Have you ever quit writing? If so, what happened?
Then I guess I'm a writer. My current project is almost cracking my skull in its eagerness to be out of my head and onto a page. Some days it actually hurts.
ReplyDeleteIt's painful to think about quitting. That said, I only started writing about 18 months ago, after going 35 years without. It's become a huge part of my life since that time, though. There would be some awful withdrawal symptoms if I stopped!
ReplyDeleteThere have been long periods when the only writing I've done has been connected with work but there has usually been some leeway for imagination. (How many euphemisms can you find for 'lazy' or 'disruptive'?)
ReplyDeleteUgh! The same thing can be said about pursuing any art that doesn't pay the bills.
ReplyDeleteNever will I stop writing.
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