I am in love with the world "potentiality". According to Merriam-Webster (2017), the word means "a chance or possibility that something will happen or exist in the future." When a writer puts something out there, whether it be sending a manuscript to an agent or posting on Wattpad (shameless plug: I have a short story collection developing at https://www.wattpad.com/user/lleachie), they are activating potentiality. The possibilities for getting noticed or getting published in a crowded field of manuscripts are small, but the dream is great.
And then the agent rejects the piece with the common "It's not you, it's me. Keep writing", or the story moulders on Wattpad ...
It's easy to become dejected, call yourself a failure, believe you'll never be published, want to give up. But if you're a writer, you can't. You just can't.
Writer, do not give up the dream. Do not buy into the belief that your only hope to be noticed is wishful thinking and a SEO guru. Don't focus on fame (although wouldn't that be nice?), but focus on the experience of getting further than you have before and having new experiences and learning. Create your own goals and stretch yourself to make them. Fortify yourself with what your writing means, that it's important, and that the world doesn't always honor what's important, focusing instead on what is loud and flashy.
Maybe the goal in letting your writing out into the world is to release it and see what happens. Does it change a person's mind? Does it get you on the stage at an open mic? Does it turn you into a blogger? Where does it lead you?
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