it’s Thursday and I’m here to kick you all in the butts!

Why would I do such a thing?

Because you are in need of not just motivation today, but something more.

You might find yourself on occasion asking yourself the age old question “Why should I even bother?” when it comes to your creative hobby. Because I’m an author I focus these pep talks on writing, but it can really transfer to anything you do that has a creative edge to it, or even a competitive edge.

You might think you’ll never be good enough as the people you aspire towards. You might look at your writing from a year ago and wonder how you could ever think you had a knack for this.

You might consider quitting because it’s just so much harder than you ever expected to finish anything.

I’m here to tell you right now that you are good enough! You have it within you to be better than you think. You might already have the skill and just can’t see it for yourself.

When you see a chapter in front of you and think you could never do it justice, write it anyway.

When you see a short story contest that you could enter but know you could never win, enter it anyway!

When you have an idea that you’re fairly certain is too similar to another famous author’s idea, explore it anyway!

Never self-defeat your passion.

Repeat after me: DO NOT SELF SABOTAGE YOUR WORK.

If you’re trying to get better and you seek advice from those you perceive as more knowledgeable, be up front that you want to improve. But don’t be self-deprecating. Don’t pre-judge your work. Let the work stand for itself.

Why should you bother?

Well I can tell you why I bother. I bother because I have stories to tell. I bother because I’d go crazy if I didn’t. I bother because I want to get better. I bother because it’s relaxing in a weird kind of way. I bother because I love it. It is my passion. I have spent countless hours chasing after the art of writing, and I’ll spend countless more in my pursuit of telling stories.

If I never get a publishing deal? Whatever. If I toil away in obscurity the rest of my life? Oh well. If I plateau and seem to be unable to get better than my skill level at that moment? Darn.

You should write because it’s what you want to do. If you want to get published, keep striving. If you want to be famous, keep trying. If you want strangers to tell you how deeply your story touched them, don’t quit.

If you want to open your soul to strangers and hope they don’t scathe your tender psyche, this is the hobby for you.

It is daunting. It is perilous. It is rewarding. It is not for everyone, but it might be for you.

Why bother? Why wouldn’t you bother. Write the hell on, writers.