The Official Writing Challenge
BACK TO
CHALLENGE
MAIN
INSTRUCTIONS
how it works
submission rules
guidelines for
choosing a level
ENTRIES
submit your entry
read current entries
read past entries
challenge winners
Our Daily Devotional HERE
Place it on your site or
receive it daily by email.


TRUST JESUS TODAY

  • Share
  • how it works
  • Submit
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Dropout (05/12/11)
I’m done. Giving up, dropping out, moving on. Really---I quit. On one hand, I have a pile of rejections staring me in the face. On the other hand, I am not paid much for writing that is accepted. This writing gig is too much work for too little reward.

If I do not call myself a writer, I will not have this horde of books and magazines in bookcases, magazine racks, and boxes in every corner of my home. I will not need to spend money on style manuals, memberships, subscriptions, or writers’ conferences. I will not have to spend time monitoring online writers’ groups or reading blogs about writers and writing. I will not feel obligated to attend writers’ group meetings or share my experiences with other writers. I can use my “office” space for another activity, something less frustrating and requiring less “stuff.” I will not carry around this load of guilt about not writing when I’m too tired or too busy to concentrate.

Whatever made me think I wanted to be writer anyway? Others told me I was good at it. People asked me to write things for them, telling me I had a gift. Through a series of “coincidences,” I attended a writers’ conference and caught the writing bug. I learned the ropes and began submitting my work. A surprising percentage of my first submissions were accepted. I found that I enjoy interviewing people and giving them a chance to tell their stories. People tell me that they are blessed by my work. Other writers say that I have been a source of encouragement for them.

What was that comment I made about “too little reward?” If I stop calling myself a writer, I will lose contact with some very good people, and I will miss the opportunity to meet new writing friends. Who will help my interview subjects tell their stories and have their moment of “fame?” And---what about all the time and effort I have expended learning the writing ropes? I cannot just write it off as time wasted. And, most important---if I give up writing, I will no longer have the privilege of being a blessing and a source of encouragement to others.

On second thought, I became a writer by design and not by coincidence. I was called and equipped to write, not to measure the cost. No---I’m not done yet.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
This article has been read 611 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Leola Ogle
05/20/11
Oh my, I'm sure many of us are wondering if we actually wrote this and not you! Well, I'm glad you're writing! God bless!
Linda Goergen
05/20/11
Your story a realistic mental argument…Writer’s lament…haven’t we all felt like giving up at times, but in the end a real writer needs to write just like the need to breathe! Yes, part of what God made us to be for a reason!
Joe Moreland
05/21/11
I recently came out of a three year period where I wrote virtually nothing. And that was not the first I've had such lapses in my life. I kept telling myself many of these same things. I even told myself that writing was irresponsible of me, given the family I have to support and health issues we have to fight. You spoke directly to me because, up until now, I thought I was the only one who felt this way. :)
Joe Moreland
05/21/11
I recently came out of a three year period where I wrote virtually nothing. And that was not the first I've had such lapses in my life. I kept telling myself many of these same things. I even told myself that writing was irresponsible of me, given the family I have to support and health issues we have to fight. You spoke directly to me because, up until now, I thought I was the only one who felt this way. :)
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
05/27/11
Oh, how Ican relate!

Congratulations for ranking 11th in your level!