I wrote this after an artist that I like posted to tumblr about the reaction she’s gotten when she showed her first major piece of writing to someone. That person was basically horrible to her. This was my response to her story:
My very dear. I am a published writer. And I can tell you the basic secrets behind how you get to be good at writing.
You keep at it.
NO ONE is born a great writer. We learn. Through trial and error and sweat and blood and tears and rejections. I’ve racked up enough rejections to wallpaper my office. I have manuscripts that will NEVER see the light of day, because I wrote them early in my career, and THEY ARE CRAP!
Write. Keep writing. Learn from your mistakes.
And never, EVER listen to people who tell you that you can’t. You CAN. You WILL. If it is your goal to make it as a writer, and you are willing to learn and to put the effort and the time and the complete and utter frustration into it, you WILL.
Took me 42 years, but now I hold my head high, introduce myself as a multi-published author, and tell all the people who said I never could to STFU.
You can do it. Don’t let ANYONE stop you.
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Thank you for this article. That’s all I can say. You most definitely have made this blog into something special. You clearly know what you are doing, you’ve covered so many bases.Thanks!