J.G. Chayko

I’ve been seeing a lot of posts on social media about writers becoming discouraged over their progress. Between finding time to create while juggling jobs and family, and dealing with all the rejections, bad reviews, and criticism of our work, we begin to wonder if it’s worth it. It feels like we’re watching our passion slowly erode, getting lost in the murky quagmire of business and economics.

We sometimes forget how difficult it is to spill our blood on the page and present it to the world. The publishing industry is extremely competitive and receiving constant rejections can bring you down. I want to remind you to be kind to yourself. Writing is hard. It’s easy to want to give up but maybe the journey can be a little smoother if we recognize and celebrate the little victories.

Celebrate that first draft of a novel. Celebrate finishing that short story. Celebrate that poem. Most of all, celebrate the time and the courage it took to sit down at the desk and do the work. Five minutes a day, 10 minutes a day, it doesn’t matter, what matters is you carved out time for yourself to write.

Don’t give up – success in writing is not usually about talent, but about timing. What people like and want to read is constantly changing. Go back and discover what you love about writing. Take a break if you need to, it will always be there when you are ready to go back. Read, get inspired by stories, poems, and the power of the written word.

The stories you want to tell are worth pursuing. Don’t let the business of writing stop you. Keep following your passion – your time will come.