Do I find writing a pleasure or a pain? Yes. It's enjoyable when a story idea flows through my fingers and onto the screen with ease. The characters are interesting, the plot contains no speed bumps, and the finished product requires minimal editing before it's ready for public viewing. Then there's the other ninety-eight percent of the time when, like you, I struggle with each sentence, phrase, word, etc. For example, I wrote a 55-word story for a challenge last weekend, polished it, submitted it on Monday, and had it accepted for publication on Wednesday. WooHoo! Then there's the other story I sent to a contest on Friday. I wrote the story in the fall of 2007, submitted it, and it was rejected. I set it aside for a few month, came back to it, submitted it again, and it was rejected. I've revised/submitted the story three times in 2009. It's been rejected twice. I still think there's a good story there. I just haven't found it yet.

 So why do I continue writing? I can't seem to stop. I tried taking a break in January. It didn't last. I wrote less, but continued to read everything from short stories, to novels, to craft books, started a blog, and joined another online writing group. Writing is frustrating most of the time, but stopping is about as hard as quitting cigarettes. The instructor in the first writing class I took three years ago asked her students to comment on why they write. I answered, "because the alternative isn't acceptable." I guess that's still true.

Janice~

Although my writing experience tends toward the painful, I stick with it not only for the joy of self-discovery but also the joy of crafting a finished story or poem from a lousy first draft. I'm addicted to revision. And besides, it gives me a good excuse not to do the dusting. 

The fact that I am connecting to readers is a big part of what keeps me writing.  Writing is the most communicative of all art forms, and the fact that we are writing on this blog right now says something about that.  We're not just writing for ourselves, we're writing for whoever we can reach out to (I am speaking of the people at this blog specifically.  A lot of writers are exclusive with who they write to and why they do).  I write a column in a monthly mental health newsletter, and it helps to have deadlines.  I also enjoy the way I can give assignments to myself, on my free time, and that I can take my time with those projects.

--Nick Kessler