Can I Quit Writing? #IWSG #writers #writinglife

The first Wednesday of every month is officially 

Insecure Writer's Support Group day.

The Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It's a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

IWSG Asks: What would make you quit writing?

I've tried quitting. It didn't stick.

There are several... several times in the last 20 years when I considered quitting. I work for hours and hours on my manuscripts. And then hours more on marketing, advertising, networking, social media, all the other things besides writing that go into a writing career. Add to that, I'm constantly learning, studying, discovering new tips and tricks to try with writing. Workshops, courses, lessons and how-to books. It is a continuous pursuit of knowledge and one I fear I will never master.

I remember buying groceries at the store when my sons were toddlers. I stood watching the sales clerk ring up my order and thought,  "She's a teenager and is making more money than me. In 1 hour, she makes more money than I do in a full 40 hours of writing."

It was a depressing thought. All the work, the hours of my life that I spend on words that possibly no one will ever read... I couldn't even afford to buy myself a cup of coffee.

On the way home, I told myself I was done.

I quit.

I needed to wake up. Grow up. Stop dreaming. I was a mom now. I needed to be more responsible. I had kids to provide for. I needed to get a real job.

Tomorrow, I was going to fill out an application at the grocery store. Get a job that paid money. I needed money. I had bills to pay, kids to feed, a mortgage.

Writing was clearly not the way to achieve any of that.

And then I thought of the many hours of my life that I spent on learning the craft of writing. The money I spent to go to workshops and conferences. How much knowledge I had gained from that moment when I was 18 and had decided that becoming an author was my choice of career to that moment when I was sitting in my car contemplating quitting.

I've come so far.

It would be a waste of my life if I gave up now. All those years I invested...

What if it took just one more book?

The next book could be my hit. It could be all that sits between me and financial freedom. The one that will help me succeed and accomplish my goals.

Could I take that chance? If I quit, I'd never know.

It took me about a week of not writing before another story idea presented itself, another opportunity to write a book that might touch some reader's heart. That urge to write brought me out of my early writing retirement.

What if Nora Roberts had given up? What about Stephen King? JK Rowling??

Many people know about their success stories. What if they decided writing was too hard and gave up 

We'd never have those beautiful stories to share.

I don't know if I'll ever attain the success of those mega-writing stars, but if there's one person who looks forward to reading my books, my biggest fan who automatically buys everything I publish, some stranger whom I may never meet, then I owe it to that person to keep writing. My writing might change someone's life someday. Touch someone is some life-altering way.

My writing might change my life, too! It might be my life that is changed in some life-altering way.

What would make me quit writing? Nothing. In fact, my thoughts move more along the lines of how can I keep writing when life becomes difficult?

I suffer from depression and anxiety. Writer's block hits. I do my best to prepare myself for those days to help me work through it.

What if I get carpal tunnel or arthritis in my fingers so bad I can't type? Well, then I'll buy dictating software and write while speaking aloud.

What if I go blind? Then I'll buy a brail keyboard.

What if the zombie apocalypse hits? I'll search through broken and abandoned houses until I find pen and paper.

What if aliens abduct me? I'll entertain them with the stories that pop into my brain while they probe me.

Okay, so clearly, I take the what if game too far. But, even if I won a million $$ lottery jackpot, I'd keep writing. Even if I never made another penny from my stories, I'll still continue to write them.

It's a part of me now. 

Writing is like breathing.

Even when I try to quit, that writing part of my brain nags at me until I get back to it.

So, I quit fighting it.

Happy writing!

~ Tricia 

Be sure to visit the other writers in the 

Insecure Writer's Support Group!

I write sensual paranormal and historical romances. Interested in learning more about my stories? Become a VIP Reader by signing-up for my newsletter where you'll learn about my new book releases, updates on my works-in-progress, writing tips, book reviews, contests, and other fun book-related info!

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A Year with @4thewords! #amwriting #WritingCommunity #4thewords #DustWarriors

I've got beautiful angel wings for writing 365 days in a row!

This time last year, still reeling from the toilet paper shortage brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, I found myself struggling with writer's block. Amidst the uncertainty of the virus, I placed myself in self-imposed quarantine with my four children. Not knowing what to expect, I wanted my family safe above all else.

Surviving in such perilous times, I suddenly found myself struggling to write. I suffer from anxiety and depression. Like others, I found myself spiraling downward.

To make matters worse, I lost my desire to write.

How could I write happily-ever-after romance with so much sadness and fear permeating the world?

It was a terrible feeling. I knew I had to fight it. This was my career, after all. While other people were trying to find a way to work from home, I was already doing it.

Tricia's Writing Cabin Retreat

Just by luck, I stumbled upon a writer's group on Facebook that has quite literally changed my life forever. A group of writers came together to organize multi-author projects forming a place where writers could find calls for submissions and other open writing projects.

Interacting with such like-minded individuals, I realized I wasn't alone in this feeling of not being able to write. These writers were feeling it, too. They were working to push out of this writing funk, to get back to work to create stories for their readers. Readers were relying on authors to keep creating content for the time so many people were looking for a way to escape the world.

This group inspired me, sparking my desire to write again.

One of those authors mentioned 4thewords.

I'd heard of it before, picking it up somewhere from some other writer. I hadn't really explored it. I'm not much of a gamer girl to the chagrin of my children. But, this author told me 4thewords was what kept her writing. And it was fun!

I just had to check it out!

I am so glad that I did!

What is 4thewords?

Basically, it's an online writing game. You battle cute little monsters with word counts. There are all kinds of word counts from large to small. There are also timed battles. After defeating the monsters, you earn rewards. You get items to dress your avatar and now they have a house for you to decorate, too.

It is rather addicting. The site is designed to create a consistent writing habit for writers. You have to log in to write at least 444 words every day. The more you write, the more rewards you earn.

There is a main storyline, a quest, for you to follow. Your job is to defeat the monsters along the way. There are also side quests for you to gain more items. There's a map of the world and you unlock the different areas. It's both complicated and simple. But fun!

I joined 4thewords last year in June right in the middle of the Pride Festival. I had no idea what I was doing, but I soon figured it out. There's also a forum which makes it easy to find the answers to any questions. The community of writers there seem friendly and willing to help.

Throughout the year, 4thewords has festivals and events that encourage more writing by offering new quests and creatures to defeat. The developers work hard to keep the game fun, entertaining and inspiring!

My daughter likes to dress my Dust Warrior!

I've never tracked my writing like this before and I found it interesting to see the numbers add up. Yesterday marked my first year of writing with 4thewords. I've earned pretty new wings to prove it as you can see in the image at the top of this post!

If you're a writer and you haven't given it a try, I urge you to check out 4thewords. It is fun! And it keeps you writing! Even when you don't want to write, you know you'll lose that nice writing streak if you don't at least put in 444 words. And really, that's like 2 pages. Right? You can write 2 pages every day. Just about fifteen or twenty minutes work, right? Something like that. I know, we're all different. 

Check out my profile here. There's a free trial to give you time to check out the game and see if it's a fit for you. If you want to join, you can use my referral code - JBDWX52209 - that gets you a few free crystals to help you get started. I get crystals from it, too. So, it helps us both! You can add me as a friend on there, too, if you want!

This online writing game has helped me. A lot. I highly recommend it.

I hope it helps you, too!

Happy Writing!

~Tricia