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Never Give Up, Never Surrender

Guest post alert! Today I'm thrilled to have Debra Johnson share an inspirational message for all writers. Take it away, Debra!

Never Give Up, Never Surrender


If you’ve ever watched Galaxy Quest, then you know where the title of this post comes from. This idea is essential for all the writers of the world. 

“Never, never, never give up!” -  Winston Churchill

Writing is hard. You almost never got the recognition you deserve. A lot of things are against you. There are many writers out there, and some may be better than you. There are few places that will pay you to write. Very few people can make a successful life writing. Most writers will never be published. Even fewer of those that are published will ever be noted. Even fewer of those that are noted will be financially successful. 

Feel like giving up now? Yeah, me too. But you can’t. Being a writer is more than a job or a hobby, it is a passion nobody can squelch. What you have to remember is that your goal is not to be famous or rich. Your goal is to write, plain and simple.

"Between you and every goal that you wish to achieve, there is a series of obstacles, and the bigger the goal, the bigger the obstacles. Your decision to be, have and do something out of the ordinary entails facing difficulties and challenges that are out of the ordinary as well. Sometimes your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay with it longer than anyone else." - Brian Tracy

Writing is not something that you do for money, but it is something that you have to do. Your passion will not allow you to stop writing, any more than your body will allow your heart to stop beating. Your goal shouldn’t be fame or fortune, but rather the chance to express yourself and your stories to the world. Even if you get rejected again and again, you should keep writing.

“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson

How many famous authors were rejected? How many failed over and over again until finally they succeeded? Answer: all of them. I can’t think of one author who was successful on their first try. Many weren't even successful on their fifth, sixth, or sixteenth try. That doesn't make them failures, does it? No. Instead, they let their struggles make them stronger, better writers.

“If you are going through hell, keep going.” - Winston Churchill

No matter what you are going through now, whether you are on your first revision or your fifth you must keep going. Do not surrender to the falsehood that you can’t write. If you have the heart and the passion for writing, then you can write. Find your style, speak from your heart, and persevere. 

“Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down.” - Charles F. Kettering

About the Author:

This guest post is contributed by Debra Johnson, blogger and editor of full time nanny.
She welcomes your comments at her email Id: - jdebra84 @ gmail.com.

Amen, Debra! Diligence and drive are so important to success in any field. Perseverance helped me finish my Ph.D. and my first novel. Thank you for the guest post!

Comments

Unknown said…
I love that. A passion would be a good word for why I write :)
F. Stone said…
Without a doubt, no truer words were ever spoken, never give up. Of course, it helps to have a few people in your corner when your down and bleeding. They stand you up again, wipe off your face, and tell you to get back in the fight again - or in the case of writers - get back writing again. Feather
Jennifer Lane said…
Kelly, you're so right--passion HAS to be there to make it through a whole manuscript.
Jennifer Lane said…
Feather, so true--we need a dash of support with our perseverance, and we're lucky to have that with our Omnific family.
A great post. We must never cease striving. But that is not enough. We must strive with growing skill and study hard to acquire that skill. Love the valiant frog picture! Congrats on all the followers, Roland
Jennifer Lane said…
Roland, I love your emphasis on increasing our skills as we strive to persevere.
Misha Gerrick said…
Excellent reminder. I'm going to need it constantly when I start querying, I think. :-D
Jennifer Lane said…
Misha, I think the querying process requires even more perseverance than the writing process! Best of luck.