Blog Chain: For the Love of It…(or something like that)

Blog chain time again. This time it was started by Laura. She asks:

“What keeps you going (either trying to get an agent or to get published or finish that WIP that’s kicking your butt) when you know the odds are stacked way against you?”

I’m going to be honest. When I saw this topic, I groaned. Loudly. Not because it’s a bad topic but because I’m in one of those “This writing life is so so hard” kind of moods. I’ve answered this before and it’s interesting to me that this topic comes up often. I guess it’s because we all want to know how to keep going when the going gets tough. When it stays tough for a long time.

So since Laura asked this question almost 2 weeks ago, I’ve been thinking about it. I don’t have an answer. I just keep going. I feel there’s no other way. I don’t want to be that one book wonder person. I don’t want to fall off the face of the Earth when people barely know who I am, when I haven’t left a mark yet. There is so much more I want to accomplish with my writing–so many more books and genres I want to tackle. Quitting is not me–be it with writing or anything else. Plus, if I quit, I’ll never know if all my goal could have been achieved.

I think the odds are often stacked against us. But then that voice wonders why CAN’T it be ME? So I strive to make it happen. That in itself is hard because I can only control my writing, nothing else. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.

So why do I keep going? Because I’m grown up now and this is what I always wanted to be. If I stop, what else am I going to be when I grow up? It was always this.

Check out Eric’s inspirational post from yesterday, and keep an eye out for the next blog chain.