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My guest this week needs very little introduction. Many of you know the hugely talented writer Jacqui Murray. I’m delighted to welcome her as a guest this week. Here she is with a very interesting post:
I’m 74 and still have plans for the next five-seven years of stories. I don’t think I’ll ever stop writing.
But I’m not like lots of other people. There are good reasons people quit. The most popular are: harder than expected, too much rejection, bad reviews, a disdain for marketing, and success didn’t come with the first (or second, or third) book. Some are good, some meh, but I respect all of them because someday, they may apply to me.
Here are the top ten reasons people claim for why they quit:
- They feel like they have nothing new to say. They’ve bought into the narrative that writers must teach-not-entertain. Luckily, I don’t suffer that.
- They burn out. That happens to people on jobs, hobbies, dreams, and life in general. Why wouldn’t it happen with something as demanding as writing?
- Health issues. It could be physical like arthritis in their hands or chronic fatigue, maybe chronic pain. It’s difficult to write when top of mind is always how lousy you feel or how you’d like to fall asleep.
- They discover a passion greater than writing. For me, that was raising my children for twenty years. When those demands moved on, writing remained.
- The time spent writing could put into a second–or third–job for financial reasons. Most writers I know make barely enough to offset its costs despite the long hours and intensive work.
- No one supports your efforts. Support isn’t required, but it makes writing easier if a spouse or family or a group (maybe a writer’s circle) is there to answer questions and tell you all is going well. Without that, for some, it’s difficult to impossible to continue.
- No process was in place to support writing. Most writers don’t fail for lack of talent, rather, they lack a system that supports it–time set aside, proper habits, that sort.
- The reason they wrote ended. Now, your boat has no rudder. Lots of people start writing cathartically, to tell their life story, share a memoir. They hope (and their mentors confirm) that telling their story will help them get past it and help others in the same situation (which is how I started). When that’s done, they’re done. The joy of wordslinging never took hold.
- They’re older and think it’s time to stop. Lots of writers start in their seventies, don’t realize how many like-minded folk continue beyond their seventies and eighties.
- They think writing will be easy and it never is. Writing requires an understanding of people, settings, the ins and outs of events, plotting, arcs, and so much more. It’s a challenge even for experienced authors.
If you think of quitting, think of James Michener, author of forty-one major narrative novels over a forty-seven year career that extended well into his eighties:
“I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.”
***
Author bio:
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga, Man vs. Nature which explores seminal events in man’s evolution one trilogy at a time. She is also author of the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers and Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. Her non-fiction includes 100+ books on tech into education, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics.
Jacqui’s latest book:
Blurb:
A tribe haunted by the past. Lies that threaten the future. A reason to find the truth.
Savage Land is the third trilogy about prehistoric man in the series, Man. Vs. Nature.Written in the spirit of Jean Auel, Savage Land explores how two bands of humans survived one of the worst natural disasters in Earth’s history, when volcanic eruptions darkened the sky, massive tsunamis crossed the ocean in crushing waves, and raging fires burned the land. Each of the tribes considered themselves apex predators. Neither was. That crown belonged to Nature and she was intent on washing the blight of man from her face. Join me in this three-book fictional exploration of Neanderthals. Be ready for a world nothing like what you thought it would be, filled with clever minds, brilliant acts, and innovative solutions to life-ending problems, all based on real events. At the end of this trilogy, you’ll be proud to call Neanderthals family.
In Balance of Nature, Book Three of the trilogy, the tribes face one final roadblock to reach what they hope will become their new home. They prevail but not without deaths and setbacks by collaboration and respect for the strengths of those they originally disdained. Now, in their homeland, where life should be about finding their place in a new landscape, instead, they find threats from old enemies and potentially lethal challenges.
Follow the courageous Yu’ung, the determined Kazeb, the mystical Shanadar, the pawed-and-clawed Canis and their tribes as they navigate a perilous world of tribal conflict, unexplained visions, and shifting loyalties. Their journey is a testament to resilience and the strength found in true leadership. Their personal struggles and heroic triumphs define this sweeping saga that ultimately leads to who we are today.
Social media:
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Jacqui-Murray/e/B002E78CQQ/
Blog: https://worddreams.wordpress.com
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/askatechteacher
X: http://twitter.com/worddreams
Website: https://jacquimurray.net
Esther Chilton 
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