Writing as a vocation is a love-hate relationship. It is an art often romanticized as an elusive muse that needs taming in order for it to flow. This rings true for the writer who is yet to be published. At some point, an aspiring man of letters has imposed a deadline on himself that he will keep writing and then quit after accumulating enough rejection slips. It is understandable that such imposition allows the writer to re-evaluate himself, especially at a time when he needs to put food on the table, or when he feels that he has exhausted all the means to get published but still failed. If you are considering dropping the pen, consider answering these:

What are your expectations? You’ve read the Harry Potter series and thought that you could duplicate J.K. Rowling’s phenomenal success. Otherwise, you will hop on the next train and become a hobo. Everywhere you look, you hear success stories of authors, both first-timers and veterans, reaping success. They are worshipped, envied, and admired like rock stars. Your survivorship bias is at work. Understand that we live in a world that glorifies winners and rarely gives a second look at failures, and the media aggravates this. Visit the local library and see how many unforgettable tomes had been published and had never given any superstar status to their authors. Overnight success is not the norm in publishing. Just because it is statistically possible doesn’t mean it is inevitable. A simpler word for that is wishful thinking.

Is passion enough? One of the best advice about following your passion comes from Mike Rowe, host of Dirty Jobs. He said that following passion alone is bad advice. If you have been pushing at your passion for years and not yielding favorable results, you might end up trapped. Instead, he advises that you should follow opportunity, but always take your passion with you. What does this mean for you, the writer? Consider exploring other types of writing. Consider a full-time or home-based career on more viable options like technical writing or copywriting. Digital communication has allowed more opportunities for the writer than ever before. Find out what in-demand type of writing suits you. Otherwise, you can take a non-writing job while working on your book.

What is your purpose for writing? To express yourself? To put food on your table? To become wealthy and famous? Whatever pragmatic exigency drives you to write, your dependency to communicate through written signs and symbols must keep you grounded. Always deliver an output that reflects your competence. The first person you need to please or satisfy is yourself. You should be your own worst critic Success, according to Viktor Frankl, is the by-product of a cause greater than one’s own. Write not because you have to but because you want to.

Any type of art requires patience and hard work. Consider the lives of painters: Most of them never reap fame and success while they are alive. A painter’s work is often more valued when he’s gone, on account that his paintings become rare and that no more artistic output will come from him again. Painters spend most of their lives painting, and the same is true with you as a writer--you do not spend your time hobnobbing with the literati. You spend your time writing, perfecting your craft, and learning a thing or two. It is a continuous apprenticeship where the intrinsic reward is highly fulfilling. If in case it provides an extrinsic reward like fame, embrace it and celebrate. You can consider writing as your life or that which adds something to your life. If you quit after trying until almost dying, you wouldn’t know that your unwritten or unfinished book might have been the opus that could have brought you fame and fortune. Now it’s up to you.