Words That Almost Made Us Quit: Share Your Story of Writing Discouragement

Words That Almost Made Us Quit: Share Your Story of Writing Discouragement

In the journey of every writer, there are moments when someone’s words make us question everything. Today, we’re creating a safe space to share those stories of discouragement – not to dwell in negativity, but to remind each other that we’re not alone and that continuing to write is an act of courage.

Share your story in the comments following this format:

• The words that were said (including harsh rejection letters from editors)
• Who said them (teacher, family member, critic, editor, etc.)
• When it happened
• How it affected you
• Why you kept writing anyway

COMMENTING GUIDELINES:

• Share your own experience
• Keep it real but respectful
• No naming specific people or publications
• Support others who share
• Focus on resilience and growth
• Feel free to share rejection letters that were particularly harsh or dismissive

Why This Matters: By sharing these moments of discouragement, we create a powerful reminder that harsh criticism is universal in the writing journey. The world isn’t always encouraging, and many writers face harsh words, crushing rejection letters, or dismissive attitudes from editors and critics alike. If you’ve experienced brutal feedback, form rejections that felt particularly cold, or harsh discouragement, you are not alone! Every successful writer has likely faced similar moments of doubt and criticism. Your story might be exactly what another writer needs to hear today to keep going.

My Story: I’m 14 years old in my Freshman English class and my teacher gives us a creative writing assignment to write for 20 mins at the beginning of class. “Just write your idea,” she said, have fun with it. So I wrote, starting in the middle of the action, 2 men running away from an explosion at a bank heist gone wrong.” I was just for fun, what could go wrong?

The next day my teacher had the projector ready and was projecting examples of our work on the board. She projected mine up on the screen as a “way not to write!” I wasn’t going to correct grammar or spelling, just the story, but it was really embarrassing that she even accidentally showed the class my name in the upper right of the page! 

Your turn. Share your story in the comments below. Let’s turn our moments of discouragement, whether from teachers, family, or rejection letters, into a source of connection and strength for our writing community.

Remember: Sometimes the best revenge is simply continuing to write.