“You only fail if you stop writing.” Ray Bradbury
With Camp NaNoWriMo quickly approaching, this is a very important and appropriate quote to use for this week’s motivation. The temptation to quit on your first draft can be massive sometimes. Especially in a contest-like situation like NaNo. You’re trying to get the words down and nothing is coming out right. But, that’s okay. At least you’re writing. You can always make it better. That’s what editing is for and why it’s so important. No one expects you to write a Tolkien-like epic on your first draft and slap it on Amazon for sale. That’s ridiculous and unrealistic. Unless you’re asking for 1 star reviews. Maybe that’s your thing, I won’t judge.
But, if I had quit every time I felt uninspired or every time I felt like I was doing nothing but spewing garbage, I’d never get as far as I have with going on three books under my belt and a published short story. I certainly wouldn’t be sitting here writing this today. I’m not where I want to be yet but I’m a lot farther than when I first started and that was because I kept going.
Ray Bradbury is a successful author. And, while I’ve never read any of his work, I imagine he has a clue what he’s talking about when he said this originally. He certainly wouldn’t have his level of success if he had quit.
So, keep going. Keep writing. I’m rooting for you!
If you’re participating in Camp NaNo, let me know and maybe we can be buddies. Cabin assignments are already coming out but we can still cheer each other on through messages and on the forums.