Writing and Publication

I was talking with my mother over the weekend about seeking publication. And she had a good point: pinning my hopes on what other people do with my writing is a good way to get disappointed.

That said, it seems to be the common desire of those that write, whether it be a weekend hobby or a full-time commitment, to seek publication. It gives our time and effort and sweat legitimacy, something that most hobbies/callings don't seem to require the same way. Asking someone to interact with your writing is to ask them to commit their time and their effort to your story. Publication is a way of saying to people that yes, it's a decent story and it's worth the time and effort. It's not someone pressing a handful of grubby manuscript on you. It's a published novel, glossy cover, fancy font. It's "real".

It hurts to feel so incomplete without publication. It hurts to work so hard to try and get other people to accept my writing as "real" and "good enough". But to give up would be to say that I'm not good enough, and that's simply not an option at all.