Kameron Hurley Gets Real With Writers

I read this piece today at Chuck Wendig’s blog. It said what I believe about the writing business, but in a much more elegant way. There is, for example, a reason I called it a business. But when award-winning writer Kameron Hurley says it, it sounds so much better.

Must be that whole ‘award-winning writer’ thing.

Seriously, I wish every author would read this article and take note.

After reading that, I meandered on to this article, also a guest post by Hurley. This one really hit home, particularly since I’ve just published a book myself, quickly realising the things she spoke so eloquently of here.

I think every writer should read this article too. Because it’s inspirational.

I’ve been psyching myself out over a bad review here and there, and fretting over my lack of success, as I saw it. But recently, my sister helped me put some things in perspective. She reminded me that even when things were darkest in my life, I kept writing. Now, at the beginning of the writing career I’ve always wanted, I’m talking myself out of doing what I’ve always loved because of my doubts.

Talk about acting senselessly.

This is the one thing I’ve always come back to. The one thing I feel I can do better than most people. Something I love to do. And I’m actually talking myself out of it because of some misguided sense that I haven’t achieved anything.

Kameron is raw and real here and she shares some really personal things.  Thank god she talked about how important persistence is. And how it’s really not about getting to the top, because there is no top. There is simply the journey.

That made me remember that I decide what success is. I am the one who can stop me from achieving. No one else. If I want to continue writing, I can. I just have to remember that it’s all about action. I can’t write if I don’t write. And if I want to do this for a living, I can’t not write.

So I’m going to write.