Should I give up

dreamer411 · Joined: 21 Feb 2006 Posts: 170 Location: in a dream

I love writing. Words are like an escape a way to express my feelings, a way to bring to view problems in the world... a way to transport you anywhere.

Yet, I feel I have no gift and some people have told me the same. Shoule I just give up?

j-luke · Joined: 25 Jun 2006 Posts: 930 Location: Maryland

Give up what? The dream of getting published, that you'll ever be great? Maybe. I wouldn't, but maybe.

The belief that you are already great? Seems you already gave that up, if you ever believed it (most of us do, usually real early on, and then we wise up if we're wise).

Posting your works on forums? Again, perhaps, if it's bringing you pain and discouragement rather than learning and encouragement.

But give up writing? Hell no. Not if it does for you what you say. Keep writing, strive to get better if you choose to post on forums (or even if you don't), don't be discouraged when you fail (we all will), and keep doing what you love, even if, in the grand scheme of things, you stink (I'm still writing, after all).

RlxnNCmrlo · Joined: 06 Sep 2007 Posts: 69 Location: California

you can take great solace in the notion that there are no so-called great poets today. we don't have the kind of culture/society that elavates great poets to any kind of recognizable position. poets today are known only by other poets and/or people in print media, publishing etc. the reasons for this are almost too complex to list here but primarily, there are too many outlets, too many critics (everyone's a critic...right?) and too much illiteracy. also, our society is infected with the notion of democracy to such an extent that all the arts have degenerated into a kind of disposable populace fodder. just try using 100 dollar words (hemingway's term) on this site or try using metaphors or similies that are not commonly plastered over the pages of people magazine and you will garner such anti-intellectual dissent it will make your head spin. personally, i blame the beats but it goes back to whitman.

so, if you are pining for poetical sainthood, I suggest you quit now. It's not going to happen.

also, i've never considered poetry to be something one can choose to do at will. if you are truly struck by the writing bug, there's not much you can do about it. you're going to write come rain or shine. if you relegate the act of writing to the status of needlepoint, something one can easily decide to "do" or "not do," I suggest you quit.

MEHope · Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 10:57 pm Post subject:

Larwar · Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 10:37 am Post subject:

What ME Hope said. I've known very talented writers who never learned to write something someone else would read and I've known many beginners that put their all into learning the art and are now very well published. The thing about talent is that it is subjectively measured and the very idea of it changes with cultural shifts.
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Never wait for the muse. She's probably waiting for you.

dreamer411 · Joined: 21 Feb 2006 Posts: 170 Location: in a dream

Thank you all. I suppose it is true, when you love to write not writing would hurt worse than just not being good at it. I suppose all I can do is strive to be better. But I guess I just need to remember that I write because it's a passion, it's an outlet, a pert of me, not to be famous or anything cuz that's be dumb. Lol... (sigh) thank you all