what do you do when you feel like giving up?

All you do is complain about how you're a terrible writer. In fact, you've been doing this for over a year:

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If you're just looking for attention and sympathy...YWS' goal is to help writers, not to coddle them and pretend their work is good if it's not.

And I looked over the latest story you've written. Those critiques are not harsh compared to some others on this site; actually, your reviewers were being incredibly patient with the colossal amount of mistakes you had. You should have been thankful that people, and especially so many Instructors, spent their time reviewing it in-depth. Instead, you whine.

Grow up or resign yourself to fanfiction and others such garbage permanently. It's your choice.

I suppose i am whining. I didn't mean to act like i was looking attention or for Symathy, somehow i manage yet again to screw up and I'm sorry.

What i meant by this thread was to ask people who do they get over the feeling like they aren't learning.

I have learn alot this past year, but i still feel like i haven't progress any.


I'm sorry. Everyone, thanks for putting up with my rant.

I have read some of your writing. You're not terrible in the slightest. You should've read some of my crappy writing from when I first started here on YWS. Of course, I took all of my terrible stuff down, but just trust me; it would've made you cry it was so stupid and horrible.

Everyone is different, as we all know. You may just take things harder than the average writer. But, unfortunately, being a writer and looking forward to getting anything published in the future means that you're going to have to learn to deal with criticism, no matter how horrid, harsh, and honest it is. But on the bright side, for every harsh remark, you're sure to get at least a few good ones. You always have to think optimistically, or else you're bound to just want to give up, and you have too much talent as a writer to do that.

Again, if you ever need a constructive critique, just PM me or e-mail me. Either way, I'll be happy to help.

i'm not looking to get publish. i'm just looking to be a better writer in general.

It's the same concept. You just have to learn how to take the blows. Kind of wear some armor. Before you read your critiques, warn yourself that there will be good critiques, there will be harsh critiques, and some might just rip your writing to pieces. But you know that everyone is just trying to give suggestions. Whatever their way may be. It may be nicely suggesting changes, or it could be a harsh, "This sucks", which I admit, I've gotten many of those. But over time, I learned to armor myself and ready myself for those kinds of critiques.

Just remind yourself that no one is trying to be malicious and destroy your confidence and self-worth. They wouldn't take the time to do that. Everyone here genuinely wants to help you and that's really what it comes down to. Everyone here wants to help and be helped. I agree some have rather harsh and odd ways of doing so, but nonetheless, they try.

I don't necessarily agree with everyone saying that maybe you should get at least half-way through with a piece first. Just post it when ever you feel that you need some help, or if you feel that you're stuck in a rut. And if you want, upon posting your piece, maybe make a note that you'd like constructive critiques and you'd appreciate it if they weren't harshly-written.

Honestly, just like someone else said, people might always find something they would change or make a different way. You don't have to listen to them! Really. They're trying to help, but if you don't agree with what they suggest just don't worry about it. It's that simple.

And everyone isn't always confident about how well they write but just keep practicing and just keep writing. I can't even beleive how much I've improved just by being on this site. The more you write the better you'll get. But you will write some things you don't like much, everyone does. Just look out for the mistakes you made and try to avoid them next time.

Don't give up! Just keep writing! (:

I told a person once not to be harsh, but they did it anyway. how can i trust a person not to do it again?

the person was like " i know you say not to be harsh, but i couldn't help myself.

KaliaMarie: I have done that before. some i ingore and some i don't. but it doesn't take away the sting through.

I am tired of being a soft-hearted person when it comes to editing. that's what i need to get over.

xD I've learned to deal with it so well that I tell everyone to rip it to shreds so that I can make it as good as possible. The only person that seems to be immune to my armor is Icaruss. He just has a way of critiquing that makes me feel like crap. lol. It's not his fault. He's harshly honest and I'd rather that than him lie. So, it's okay I suppose.

Haha... I can't stand criticism. And I'm supposed to be one of the better writers here! XD

When I see a review on one of my pieces, my stomach just drops and I spend the next couple of minutes wondering whether I should click the link or not. Then, after about ten or twenty minutes of worry, I click the link and read the reviews. And then I stare at the reviews, especially if they're harsh, but even when they're nice, and wonder whether I'm really as good as I pretend to be. And then, of course, you go through the stages of grief. You know...

The Five Stages of Grief

1. Denial and Isolation.
2. Anger.
3. Bargaining.
4. Depression.
5. Acceptance.

True story:

1. Denial and Isolation:

After any particularly thorough critique, I tend to stare at the computer screen for about ten minutes, reading and rereading the critic's review. And then, no matter whether it's harsh or not, I start to sulk. It's really pathetic. XD

2. Anger:

And then there's the whole, "Well, those critics don't know what the blippity-blip they're talking about, so they suck!" attitude. Which really doesn't last long. xD

3. Bargaining:

When I was younger, this usually involved me sending pointed comments over to the critics to make them see how idiotic they were. Which ultimately backfired. Now, usually this stage only happens in my mind. Which is why I try not to comment right after I read their comments. XD

4. Depression:

Then I start to think that I can't write, that I could never write, and I wonder why the blippity blip I even thought I could do something like this. This is also where the self-hatred and demoralization comes in.

5. Acceptance.

Then you realize that if you write something bad, this gives you an excuse to write more, and because you love writing so much, you'll stick with it no matter what. And besides... an excuse to write more?

I've gotten slightly better, I think, of course. I've gotten probably a thousand reviews on my stuff, on site and off site, and I've learned how to suck it up enough so that people. And I've gotten smarter. In the beginning, I posted random things that were really wtf-ish. Just check out my portfolio for some of those rocks (rocks as opposed to gems... haha). Now, even though I have a working draft for my new novel, you can be sure that I won't post it until I'm sure that it's something that I would be proud of. And even then, I expect to be freaking out whenever I get a thorough reply.

Every writer comes to a point where they figure they can't do this anymore. It happens in any profession. You don't see it happen very much in writers... we're solitary creatures that hide it away, for the most part. It's a lot easier to see it in other professions. I'm in a biochemical engineering program at an esteemed university, and you can definitely see the stress involved outwardly just by looking around at our class. Heck, there were many times that I just burst into tears because I spent six hours on one engineering problem, and I was still nowhere close to finishing it. It's hard. Really hard. I wanted to quit many times, but it's something that fascinates me and I'm too stubborn to give up after all that hard work. And besides, if it's something you love...

A lot of people give up, just because it's too hard for them and they only did it just because. Their hearts were never in it. If you give up something, make sure it's something that you don't love. Some people think that "hate" is the opposite of love, and thus when they feel that they "hate" it, it's time to give it up. But hate is a form of passion, and if you're passionate about it, most likely you're in love with at least one component of it. The actual opposite of love is indifference.

If you love writing and then want to give it up, just because it's hard, don't. Love is stronger than any force in the world and it'll keep on drawing you back, if that's the case. If you are indifferent to it and don't care, then give it up. The world wants you to do something else.

But it sounds like you do care... you care a little bit too much.

Keep on writing, but try to write for yourself more. You'll like yourself better for it.

thanks, guys.

Snoink: you are right. i haven't been writing for myself much. maybe that's what i need to do. take a break from writing for YWS and write for myself for a change.

Snoink > Awesome answer. Totally blew all of mine out of the water. *grumbles*

Night Mistress > Glad Snoink helped you come to a realization! Good luck!

thanks.

it has been one of those days for me.

Look at pictures of kittens. Or read inspirational quotes? I'm sensing this is pretty hard-core despair here.

If it's other people that are getting you down, you could stop posting, or just show it to people face-to-face? It's harder to be nasty without the anonymity of the interwebs, and if you know anyone who's any good at writing you might still be able to get some good critiques...

...although, you know, I bet you really just haven't been editing until you're satisfied before posting it. If you write too much without editing enough... well, it'll suck. First drafts always suck. And second drafts. And sometimes third and fourth and fifth... wasn't there a writer that went through like fifty drafts of his novel? I digress.

They say anything can be achieved with love and percerverence <3
Oy, I hope you get out of this soon!