If the dream of writing is so easily destroyed after one failure, then maybe it wasn’t such a strong dream to begin with. I think someone with a passion for writing will keep writing whether it’s published or not, or even whether it’s good or not.

The fact is that there ARE people who started out unpublishable and ended up writing for a living, doing a job that doesn’t even feel like work. We can’t all end up like that, but we’ll never know if we’re one of those people or not until we persistently give it a try.

The difference between published writers and unpublished writers is not talent. It’s persistence.

Thanks,

I love your blog and podcast, Mur.

I’m working on the making it better now. Learned all of this from a year of listening to your show and almost all the archive. Thank YOU.

For me, a dream can’t just be something I work for in the future. It has to be something that is rewarding now. If I only love writing when I’m published, then I don’t really love writing, I love recognition and money. There’s a big difference between loving to write and seeking recognition through writing.

If I love writing, then I write, and it makes me happy. Being published is great, don’t get me wrong, but I write either way. I want to test myself and measure myself and become a better writer – but because I love to do it, not because I need to measure up and get a paycheck for it.

Bring on the tough love. It needs to be said.

It is not enough to love something and stick with it. In fact, doing it purely out of love appears to be a sure recipe for disappointment for the vast majority. If one dreams of success as a writer, the best bet is to view writing as a job. A job one likes, but still a job. There are subtle differences between a plan and a dream, and they are important. A plan can be shaped, modified, and is a dynamic process to a goal. A dream is nothing but what the word says. It defines no path between the here and now and achieving it.

In a way, I think that is what the above article means without actually saying it. If you have a dream, formulate a plan, and be prepare to adapt to changing conditions.

It’s much easier to think of it as something that just happens, so for many people, and probably me included, once one views it as a job, as something requiring a structured plan, the dream loses some of the appeal. That realization is not necessarily a bad thing, even if it is hard to let go of one’s dreams.

For those that lack the self-confidence to get anything published, Napolean Hill made up a self-confidence formula in “Think and Grow Rich.” I have taken the liberty of typing out and saving it to my computer. Anyone who would like a copy, if it is legal to do so, can ask for one from me at knpodood@yahoo.com.

The fourth line in the formula states “I have clearly written down a description of my definite chief aim in life, and I will never stop trying unitl I shall have developed sufficient self-confidence for its attainment.”

Anyone who has thought about giving up on a dream of theirs needs to read this. If you like a copy of the small 2.26kb file ask me.

Keep up the great work Mur.

In all seriousness, who gets into writing and doesn’t hear about the constant stream of rejections that even famously prolific and successful authors faced (and in some cases still face)?

And I’m very comforted by the fact that even if I’m on a desert island with nothing but a stick, I can still write my stories in the sand. I can tell my stories on the streetcorner, if it comes down to it. I am a writer, and that’s all I need to be. Publish it or not, it doesn’t change the fact that I’ve got three novels written, and nobody can ever take that away from me.