Writers, how do you keep from getting discouraged?

A better idea might help ;-) but it can take a long time to develop the instincts you need to know before you start whether an idea is likely to sustain your interest over the course of the story. Before then, you need to write an idea to know that it wasn't good enough.

If there is way not to get discouraged, I haven't found it, unless it involves misuse of medications... My attitude is just to accept that there will be rough patches, but that these will pass and things will get better. I've completed six novels and have abandoned a few more, and for every one of them, there were times when I thought "I'm never going to be able to finish this - and if I do, nobody's ever going to want to read it - and if by some miracle it does get published, readers will mob me and demand their money back."

BQ: My mum is a writer too, and has read most of my books. She always has a sympathetic ear when things aren't going well. My critique group are good for support and encouragement - and also good for reminding me it's the quality of the writing that matters, not how happy or sad I was when I was writing it. The right critique group can make a big difference to how good a writer you are - or how much you improve when you're with them, anyway.

Dude, I know exactly what you mean. I can never follow through with my story ideas. Sometimes I think they suck after a while, and sometimes I just get tired of writing them. Horrible, really.

I'm in a creative writing class, and I think it's helpful to have deadlines sometimes, but also other times it just…makes it more impossible to do.

I would think having someone support you indefinitely would make a huge difference, but no one encourages my writing, so I couldn't say.

I know this is the most unhelpful answer in the world. Sorry. I got no solution.

Forgive me if I sound like I am talking gibberish. It's almost four in the morning. I'm very tired. I had to answer your question, though.

You're starting story after story, without finishing one? That's quite normal, actually. I have also been writing for a few years, now. Well, I started to take writing seriously when I was about eleven or twelve. Now, I'm seventeen... I have still yet to publish anything. For one, I was learning. It's good to write just for the general knowledge you can get out of it. Remember, no writing is pointless. I'm sure all those short stories you have written in the past, will be of service to you, someday. Believe it or not, life is filled with pleasant surprises. A lot of those pleasant surprises happen when you take a risk in life. After all, how do you expect something great to happen if you are sitting there, doing nothing? One of these days, something monumental will happen. You just need to believe in yourself. Take that risk. That's what life is about, isn't it? A person has two choices in life. Either live life to the fullest or live in the shadows. Those people, who live in the shadows, rarely take risks. As a matter of fact, they are deathly afraid of them. It shouldn't even be called a life. They go with what is safe. They take the most traveled road, out of fear. Do you want to live your life in fear? Fear of the unknown is what makes life exciting. It feels exhilarating, knowing there is possibilities. Just imagine your greatest dreams. Now, imagine if those dreams were even bigger. That's what could be in store for you.

Try not to be afraid of failure. Even if you do 'fail', it may be masked by an even better opportunity. :)

I was like you, until over a year ago. I could never finish anything. With any novel I started, I couldn't get past the fiftieth page! It infuriated me. I felt like an absolute failure. I just kept trying, though. I let my imagination flourish. I refused to give up on my dream. Now, I'm writing a series that I could have never dreamed of. I know it may sound crazy, but I'm thankful that I haven't finished anything before this. I was growing, as a writer. I would never trade in the knowledge that I received. I'm very happy that I stuck with it. Writing requires so much patience. Only the writers, who endure all the pain, emptiness, and hard work, will come out at the end of the tunnel, satisfied.

You think your story is stupid? I bet J.K. Rowling and J.R.R. Tolkien thought that, too. It's basically our grandmother speaking through us. Like, "Stop being silly, child. You need to grow up. Fairy tales are stupid!!" Try to ignore that voice.

How do I keep in high spirits about my work? That's a hard question to answer, really. Just, ask yourself what your dream is. Follow that dream. We only have one life on this earth. You don't want to be an old person, dying in his bed, and thinking, "I wish I would have pursued my dreams." Then, you will die. Did you even live, at all? Or, was that just a nightmare?

To keep you motivated, I suggest writing in a journal. I have had doubts lately. I find that keeping a journal, helps me not feel weighed down. We have so many worries, stresses, and thoughts on our mind. Imagine how much better writing would be if you just let all those tiresome thoughts out of you? Believe me, writing all your inner thoughts on a few pages a day, can do wonders. I wish I would have done that a long time ago. I guess that I never did it because I thought it would take too much time out of my day. Yes, it takes a little bit, but that time is rewarded later on. While writing, I find myself much more focused than ever! :)

BQ: Honestly, no I don't. My family... I don't even wish to call them that. They aren't there for me. I've been abused in different ways, by all of them, throughout my entire childhood. Five or so years ago, I started using writing to let out my steam. It's very therapeutic. You know when you go to a movie, and you're sucked into it for a while? Well, that's how it is with writing. It's my escape. The fact that I'm turning negatives into a positive makes writing feel like a superpower to me. This is my way of fighting back. This is my way of saying, "Yeah, I actually do matter to this world. I'm not just a piece of garbage that you can throw around. I am a human being, with a heart and soul. I matter, whether you think it or not! You have no power over me anymore!" The fact that I have no support system does hurt me, at times. Other times, it actually makes me stronger. I try to motivate myself. I tell myself that, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It's a very dim light, but it's there nonetheless.

I hope I helped you in some way. Good luck on your future endeavors! :)