Express your gratitude by continuing to write!

To stop writing is to deny all who helped you become a better writer.

No one improves without the support of another. There were the teachers who taught you to read and write. There were the parents, instructors, friends and maybe even lovers who encouraged your love of reading and writing. There were the authors whose books you devoured. There were the writers whose articles and blog posts you scoured over as learning your craft and how to promote your book. There were the beta readers, mentors and editors who critiqued your work. If you’ve published, there were the readers who purchased your books and posted positive reviews.

When you quit writing, you tell all of these people that their efforts were wasted, that their faith and confidence in you was misplaced. Perhaps you don’t directly tell them this to the face, but your actions speak loudly enough.

Think of all the people who’ve helped you through the years. Make a list of them. Now express your gratitude to them by writing your story or book. When you complete a paragraph, lightly cross a name off your list. You’ve written that paragraph for them. Now write another paragraph for the next person on the list.

Tomorrow, make that list all over again and show your gratitude yet again to every one of those people.

The day after, do the same.

And keep going until you complete your manuscript. You then will have vindicated the words and convictions of all who helped you become a writer through the years. They will be proud of you!

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My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the manuscript needs of writers both new and published. I also offer a variety of self-publishing services. During the past decade, I’ve helped more than 300 novelists and nonfiction authors obtain their publishing dreams at reasonable prices. I’m also the author of the 7 Minutes a Day… writing guidebooks, four nonfiction hiking guidebook series, and the literary novel Windmill. Several of my short stories in the literary and science fiction genres also have been published.

Check out some of my writing guidebooks: