This week: What You're Doing (still) Matters. Edited by: Jayne  
More Newsletters By This Editor 
 
1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions
| Hi, I'm Jayne. I'll be your newsletter editor this week. |
I came across some emails/posts recently regarding the trouble with reviews, interpretations of work, and who is the final arbiter of what constitutes ‘good writing.’ It brought me back to a topic I’ve covered before, but it’s worth noting again.
First, I want to be clear about two things:
1. If you’re a writer, anything you leave open to public viewing is open to review. And reviewers will decide if they like your stuff. They may not. They may seem harsh in their suggestions. It’s important to remember the vast majority of reviews are done in good faith, and most suggestions are fair. However, even if a review is scathing, no person has authority over whether or not you continue to write. (You can also check out Jeff  's "Authority" ).
2. If you’re a reviewer, it’s okay to not like someone’s writing. It’s okay to offer suggestions for improvement. It is important to remember most authors here are not professionals. They are learning. It is never okay to state or imply that a writer should find a new hobby. In that same vein, no writer has the right to belittle you for a review given in good faith.
Which Brings Us to the Point of the Newsletter
I don't care what anyone else in your life or on this site tells you,
WHAT YOU ARE DOING MATTERS.
We all have our own reasons for being here. Some of us want to see what boundaries we can push just for ourselves. We don't care if our writing ever gets published. We write for fun.
Let me repeat that for the people in the back: some of us write for FUN.
People learn to paint with no intention of selling their paintings. My grandmother was an excellent knitter; she never sold a thing. You can take on photography as a hobby and have zero intention of selling them. You can learn to be a fabulous cook without wanting to be a chef. Regardless of what hustle culture tells you, you’re allowed to do things and not monetize them.
It doesn't matter to me why you do what you do, and it's none of my business what you do with the things you create.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THE THINGS YOU DO DON'T MATTER.
There is absolutely NO reason anyone should be asking why you "bother to write" if you don't want to be published, or if you don’t want to bring your work up to ‘submission’ standard.
Don’t misunderstand me, though. I’m not saying there is no place for learning. There is, and with practice and feedback, you can master a hobby, and surprise yourself with how enjoyable that can be. But you certainly don’t have to want to become a professional.
No one, not a single person, has the right to tell you that what you're doing doesn't matter.
It is hard enough to share our experiences, wondering if "it's good" - whatever the flavor of the day of "good" means - without some snide commentary simultaneously telling you it's not good enough and you'll never get it published, but if you don't want it published there's really no point to you writing it in the first place.
THAT'S A LIE.
DON'T BELIEVE IT.
Anyone in the arts is going to encounter rejection, even on this site. We'll be dressed-down for not being "good enough" or "serious enough". So why do we continue to do what we do?
Because it's art and because we can.
If someone tells you amateur writing as a hobby is the equivalent of being a failure, don't listen. Perhaps they believe they are above the hobby crowd. Perhaps they don't understand the inherent harm they drag along with their righteousness. You are under no obligation to gaze upon their heels, wide-eyed and pleading for them to understand you're only here as a hobbyist, while they sit on their high horse.
Ignore them. Don't feed into their righteousness - you'll only succeed in giving them a reason to explain why they're even more right than they thought they were in the first place. Send their wrongness packing by not acknowledging it. Let them return to the land of The Ridiculously Wrong, where they can sit in their wrongness among those who cannot fathom the peasantry of "a hobby", the quaint countryside pastime of the masses.
Make no mistake, your hobby is not a problem.
Their attitude about it is.
Despite their (wrong) opinion, whatever you are doing, somebody cares. So what if you won't have throngs of crowds begging for your autograph or studios snapping up the rights to your cat poem?
One person may care and get a real kick out of your work.
That one person may be YOU.
YOU ARE ENOUGH.
You are enough of a reason to write.
You are enough of a reason to enjoy your work.
You are enough of a reason that what you do matters.
Keep doing what you're doing. Do it because you want to, because you're able to, because it excites you, because it relaxes you, because it fills a hole or a need or a want.
WHAT YOU ARE DOING MATTERS.
As always, happy writing, you glorious hobbyist.
|
Add some positivity to your day!
|
Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.
|
Short Stories: July 23, 2025 Issue [#13254]
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
