Don't Quit Writing Says Richard Bach

Welcome to the first post in This Quote Matters. This is a series I'm doing every first Monday of the month. The quotes I choose are ones I believe are important for authors to hear. Or, you know, read. Will this text be copied and pasted into the introduction for every This Quote Matters post? Yes, yes it will.

"A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit." - Richard Bach

Why This Matters

As a young writer, I was like:

Ah, those days when I had no computer. Or WiFi. Or knowing about these weird things called Writing Blogs.

So there I was, writing stories with absolutely no structure whatsoever, zero emotional attachment and 100% dedicated to said is dead. In other words, the stuff I wrote was trash. Even when other people said it was good, I knew it wasn't great.

Writing determination was like:

But then I stumbled upon this quote. And I realised three important things.

1. Making mistakes is inevitable.

Like it or not, you're going to make a mistake. In fact, you're going to make hundreds of mistakes, if not more. My earliest writing was peppered with tense issues and cardboard cutout characters. But the thing is, you have to learn from those mistakes. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's true. We all start out as amateurs, clueless at our work. But if we stick around and keep writing, you learn from those mistakes and become professionals. 

2. There are other people at the same stage as you.

Think of those famous authors everyone knows. Or should know. JRR Tolkien, JK Rowling, Ernest Hemingway. It's hard to think that these master authors used to be amateurs, but hey, they must've started somewhere. Most of the prominent voices in the writing world are masters at their craft and you might be wondering, where are all the other amateurs are? Or, where are all the other debut authors? 

Fear not, there are definitely other people who are at similar levels to you. If you need the support from people who understand you directly, find a suitable writing group. Some writing workshops even allocate groups. Maybe you don't need to know other people personally, but it's nice to know that they're out there. 

3. Never ever ever stop.

Lastly, but most importantly, don't stop writing. Taking short breaks? Fine. Taking time off to do other things you've always wanted to do? Fine. But don't quit. Even when you feel like you aren't making quality content or everyone around you is saying, mate, there's no point in writing. Keep writing. Keep writing because you'll get better at it. Because it's so worth it.

~

That sums up the three points of this month's quote! If you get nothing else, get this: writing might seem like a massive task, but keep at it because someday, if you really try to improve, you'll get better. You'll even become a professional.

The complete series can be found on this page. :)

What does this quote mean to you? Tell everyone in the comments below! Or privately email me using the contact form on the right.