Why Bother

Sometimes I wonder why bother with writing. What's the use? It's pointless. I still have to work a day job. Why get up early and crank out stories no one is going to read?

Sounds dramatic, right? Well, I am a writer, and I end up writing it anyway. Out of habit, I suppose. I get into a story and the characters are so real that I can almost dive into the setting itself. But then the books come out and they don't exactly fly off the shelf. 

So again. Why bother? 

It's sort of where I've been for the last year, or two. This little voice in the back of my head. Why bother. Mostly, I ignore it. After all, I still love creating stories and probably won't stop regardless of whether the stories see the light of day. But indie publishing can be a lot of work. And a lot of times I don't feel like doing all the non writing work. Like marketing, or posting on social media, book signings. All that.  

The voice always wins when it comes to the non writing work. And then I happen to check Goodreads, where I see reviews like this one:

"A Cake Without Candles is one of the most heartfelt, raw and emotional books I've ever read in the middle-grade genre.

This book is just so raw, honest, and emotional, and I cried at the ending. Nettie is such a believable, realistic, and spunky character who I loved from the first few pages and really wanted to hug all the way through this book!"

Imagine me, straightening up in my chair.  

Another one. 

"A Cake Without a Candle is part coming-of-age, part family drama and part laugh-out-loud therapy session. One minute I was giggling, the next I was hit with a wave of quiet feels. It was sneaky like that."

Now, I'm not posting reviews to brag (okay, sure. Maybe a little),I'm posting them because it's what can make this whole process feel... worth it. 

"This middle-grade story of Nettie is incredibly moving and powerfully profound for a book geared toward young readers. This was so wonderfully done and will be appreciated and enjoyed by readers of all ages. Nettie is such a strong young lady that you will find yourself rooting for as she goes through some many tough changes and challenges that many other young people sadly face in their own lives, which makes this so wholly relatable. Aunt Bethany is the mean family member that everyone has and secretly isn't too fond of, but you love anyway because it's what you are supposed to do. Please pick up this book and share it with all the young readers in your life... oh, and don't forget to grab a box of tissues - you're going to need them."

Here I was writing this book, lost in my own world, and now I'm sharing that world with the real world and whether it's the first book or sixteenth, that can be a really scary thing. So when I see this kind of feedback, knowing I connected with a few souls out there, it pushes me to keep creating, and keep sharing. 

So take that, voice in my head.