Thank you for sharing all of that. While I have no designs on becoming a writer in the sense of making a living or even a meaningful part of my income by writing*, it’s still depressing when something that I slaved over, that I rewrote and rewrote and rewrote and rewrote until I was sure it was just right, falls flat. Since I am not depending on it to pay the bills I can afford to respond by laughing at it.

So I am forced to keep at it just because I belive in it. Sometimes it turns out that someone who is following one of my multi-part epics responds with something like, “there is going to be another chapter, right? Be sure to tag me!” Then I’m aware that there is at least one person in that void into which I’m dropping these things. Well, two people if you count me — I still believe.

*My daughter, however, insists that I’m “a writer” because I write and receive actual money for doing so, however meager the amount.