People have said to me "Write for yourself." Bullshit. If I had been writing for myself I would have quit a long time ago.
I am not sure I understood the discipline that writing requires. I can't say that self-discipline is my strong suit anyway, but the process of writing really pushes my boundaries in this area. There is the discipline just to sit down to write. Then there is the discipline to spell things correctly, to construct good sentences and good paragraphs. There is also the need to stick with your plot, characters, and settings if you are writing a multipart piece.
But none of that happens at once. Like going to the gym, something I despise, writing requires sitting down and writing time after time. It requires the willingness to reread the same material over and over again. It requires the discipline to move past one chapter, write two or three more, then go back and look at the previous chapter with fresh eyes.
I am grateful for my editor. I sure needed one in the beginning but was too insecure to ask someone. He forces me to wait for his review.
I am grateful for those that comment on my work. They silence the self-doubt talk that often fills my head. They keep me writing. They also are the ones I so do not want to disappoint. That right there makes me sit down again and begin to type.
Thank you.