Friends, I’m still developing my website at www.victoriamarielees.com. I’m hoping to have the site live by August 2021. My Camping with Five Kids blog will be located at victoriamarielees.com as will my Adventures in Writing blog. One site to find Victoria Marie Lees and all her adventures and writing endeavors. Thank you all for your continued support!
And now onto my July 2021 blog post.
I’m co-hosting this month for Insecure Writers Support Group! I’d like to thank my fellow co-hosts for July: Pat Garcia, and Louise – Fundy Blue! Please visit them if you can.
Our question asks what would make us quit writing. This brought to mind whether my “quit writing” would be temporary while I get my act together—again—or permanent.
I think storytelling’s in my blood. Why would I quit? I mean, I’m not making much money. I fight with the family to find time to create stories. I drive myself crazy trying to create an online presence of who Victoria Marie Lees is, a platform in which to celebrate my writing. I don’t sleep.
Wait… Hmm… Maybe these are reasons to quit writing. After all, no one is waiting for the next YA short story by Victoria Marie Lees. No one is waiting for the next blog post by Victoria Marie Lees. No one is waiting for the college memoir by Victoria Marie Lees.
Ahem! Excuse me as my insecurities show.
If money and fame are the only reasons to write, then yes. I should quit writing. But let’s consider other reasons to write and create with words.
With fiction, a writer can live vicariously through her characters. Create adventures and danger and love and possibilities, all from the comfort of our writing space.
Social media posts and blogs offer friendship and advice to others. Connections. They say: “you are not alone.” And: “we are here to help each other.” This is why I so need you all at Insecure Writers Support Group!
Memoir can open up understanding within the writer and the reader. Offer help to others as the words offer support for the writer.
With poetry, as in all creative writing, places, ideas, and beliefs are scrutinized and explained; given validation and imagery.
In prose, images are created, visualized in words, and explained.
Yes, this is why Victoria Marie continues to write and create. Not for the glory, although that would be nice. Victoria is trying to understand herself and her world better. She’s trying to assist others to find solace through story, memoir, or poetry. Maybe even blog posts.
So I guess the answer to this month’s question would be: No. I don’t think I’d ever quit writing. Even if I can’t support myself with my writing, I may find the meaning of self.
Please feel free to offer any insight on this.
It will be interesting to see how you’ve tackled this month’s question. It’s wonderful having a topic to share our thoughts on each month. I am extremely thankful for all of you for being my sounding board and advisors in this writing and publishing journey.
Thanks for visiting! And be sure to stop by Adventures in Writing again.
This post was written for the
Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Our group posts on the first Wednesday of every month. To join us, or learn
more about the group, click HERE.
Thanks for co-hosting!
ReplyDeleteCan't write for fame as it likely won't ever come. Must do it because you love it.
Absolutely right, Alex! Thanks for weighing in on this topic. It's always a pleasure seeing you here at Adventures in Writing. Thanks so much for your note. Enjoy your week!
DeleteThanks for co-hosting. If people wrote for the fame, they'd quit fast. I'm glad you write for yourself. I enjoy my writing but could see scenarios where I'd quit.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Natalie! Yes, I believe people would quit quickly if they only wanted fame. Thank you so much for sharing here at Adventures in Writing. Enjoy your week!
DeleteThere had been many times when I said I should quit or wanted to, but I never could. Possibly quit publishing, but not quit writing. Writing is too much a part of me.
ReplyDeleteWriting is a part of me, too, Chrys. Keep at it! Your stories are good!
DeleteIt's always a pleasure seeing you here at Adventures in Writing. Enjoy your week!
I agree that if we write for fame or money we may weigh the pros and cons and decide to stop writing. But then writers don't write for those reasons, if writing is in your blood you just can't stop. Thanks for co-hosting this month.
ReplyDeleteHello and welcome to Adventures in Writing, Kalpana! I'm so glad you stopped by. You are right. Writing is in my blood and I can't stop.
DeleteThank you so much for sharing here at Adventures in Writing. Enjoy your week!
I've actually thought of this question a lot. For me writing is part and parcel of who I am. I can't imagine not writing. It would be like giving up breathing.
ReplyDeleteGiving up breathing--right, Joylene. I couldn't have said it better. It's always a pleasure seeing you here at Adventures in Writing. Enjoy your week!
DeleteI think a lot of us feel a personal connection to writing and will never be driven away from it!
ReplyDeleteHello and welcome to Adventures in Writing, Steph W.! You are absolutely right. It's the personal connection to our writing that keeps us going. Thank you so much for your comment here at Adventures in Writing. Enjoy your week!
DeleteBeautiful post! I agree, I could never stop writing either, it is a part of who I am.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your kind words, KJ. I truly appreciate them. And thanks for your note here at Adventures in Writing. Have a beautiful week!
DeleteThanks for co-hosting today, Victoria. I hope you have fun visiting around. I loved all your reasons for writing. Like you, I write to understand myself and my world better. Wishing you satisfying writing this month!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for co-hosting today! I appreciate your kind words. Writing to understand ourselves and the world is a great reason to write. Thank you for your comment here at Adventures in Writing. All the luck with your writing!
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI like your answer. Victoria is trying to find herself and her world. That is one of the best reasons to write.
Have a wonderful month of July and take care.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange
Yes it is, Pat! Thank you so much for your note here at Adventures in Writing. And thank you for co-hosting. Have a beautiful summer!
DeleteThanks for cohosting this month. Good answer to this month’s question.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Diane! And thanks for leaving a note here at Adventures in Writing. All best to you!
DeleteThanks for co-hosting. Fame and money from our writing is a distant dream. We do get loads of readers' love, and ofcourse creative satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteFame and money are certainly distant dreams to me, Rachna. I would love to have the "readers' love," though. Thanks for visiting Adventures in Writing and leaving a comment. Have a beautiful week!
DeleteGreat post on your co-hosting day!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your kind words, Lee. I truly appreciate them. And thanks for your note here at Adventures in Writing. Have a beautiful week!
DeleteMany of us seem to have a need to write no matter what. Interesting to see how each writer expresses their desire. Many, would write even if no one read their work.
ReplyDeleteThank you for co-hosting IWSG this month.
Lynn La Vita @ http://la-vita.us/write/
Hello and welcome to Adventures in Writing, Lynn! I'm so glad you stopped by. Yes, I write hoping for readers of my work.
DeleteThank you so much for your comment here at Adventures in Writing. Enjoy your week!
Ryanne? Is that you? J/k, sorry. My friend just finished a cross country camping road-trip with her five kids. I followed it via social media. What. A. Ride.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Happy IWSG Day, and thanks for co-hosting!
Hello and welcome to Adventures in Writing, Adrienne! I'm so glad you stopped by.
DeleteNo kidding?? Five kids camping across the U.S.A.? We did that, too! Wow! That's amazing. Did they use a pop-up trailer and stay at National Parks, too?
Thank you so much for your comment here at Adventures in Writing. Enjoy your week!
Interesting post. I feel the same - that's why I separated writing and publishing in my post. I can't quit making stories - they appear in my head whether I want them or not. They are as important to me as breathing. Publishing, on the other hand, is all about presenting my stories to others to read ... or not. That I might eventually stop doing. It is a choice, while story-making is as inseparable from me as my red hair. No choice there, and I really don't want one. My stories belong to me. I would be lost without them.
ReplyDeleteHi Olga! Yes, I'd be lost without my stories, too. I'm a storyteller like my father before me.
DeleteThank you so much for sharing your insight here at Adventures in Writing. All best to you!
Best of luck with your new blog! It sounds like you're self-hosting? I have two that way. They're different animals than my WP.com where WP takes care of everything.
ReplyDeleteNo. I bought my domain name through hover. I have a tech friend I'm paying to set up the site for me. I believe she will be "hosting" it for me. Gosh! There's so much work involved here. Lots for me to do. I'll let everyone know when it's live.
DeleteThank you so much for your comment here at Adventures in Writing, Jacqui. Enjoy your week!
It is demanding when you don't use the WP or Blogger folks who do all the work for you. It's fun! I think you'll enjoy it.
DeleteSo my blogs and the website will be a Wordpress site, Jacqui. My tech friend will be the hosting site. Your website is so well organized and put together. I've got a lot of copy I need to write. Wish me luck! Thanks so much for your note here at Adventures in Writing. Have a beautiful day!
DeleteCamping with 5 kids? No. Just no. LOL Sounds like a fun blog. Thanks for co-hosting.
ReplyDeleteHello and welcome to Adventures in Writing, Melissa! I'm so glad you stopped by.
DeleteOh we have so many wonderful memories to treasure from camping all over the U.S.A. and up into Canada. I'd be lost without my troops.
Thank you so much for your comment here at Adventures in Writing. Enjoy your week!
Wonderful post, Victoria! Writing is how we communicate. For most, it's how we breathe. I never wonder why, or if I should. I simply know I have to. Your delightful Camping with 5 kids blog tells me you feel the same way. Never stop ;-) Thank you for co-hosting today!
ReplyDeleteHi Diedre! Thank you so much for your kind words. I truly appreciate them. Writing. It's the air that we breathe. Thanks for your note here at Adventures in Writing. Have a beautiful week!
DeleteHello and welcome to Adventures in Writing, Tbreit! I'm so glad you stopped by. Doing something we love is what life's about. Thank you for clarifying that. Thanks so much for your comment here at Adventures in Writing. Enjoy your week!
ReplyDeleteThanks for co-hosting!
ReplyDeleteMy ultimate dream is to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and my next-biggest dream is the Sydney Taylor Book Award. But I'll happily settle for being remembered as a writer for all time, like Dante and Shakespeare, long after I've passed from this lifetime.
It's funny, Carrie-Anne. I have the same dreams. More power to you. Thank you so much for sharing your insight here at Adventures in Writing. All best to you!
DeleteHello and welcome to Adventures in Writing, Jen! Thanks for your kind words. I truly appreciate them. You're right. Writing's in our blood.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your note here at Adventures in Writing. Have a beautiful week!
You're right - the connection we get just by blogging is fantastic. It's possibly kept a lot of us going in these hard times - that and sharing each others troubles over writing during a pandemic too.
ReplyDeleteGreat post (I am looking forward to your next one!) and thanks for co-hosting today.
You are right, Jemima. I think IWSG and blogging with fellow writers has kept many sane during this pandemic. Thank you so much for your kind words here at Adventures in Writing. I'll look forward to seeing you next month. Have a beautiful week!
DeleteHello and welcome to Adventures in Writing, Patricia! I'm so glad you stopped by.
ReplyDeleteAh, slumps and periods of not writing. We all have them. I'm praying your slump is a short one.
Thanks so much for weighing in here on the question of writing at Adventures in Writing. All best to you!
Everyone dreams of making a living off their writing, but fame, not so much. Still it's a big stretch to making a living too. Still, I couldn't give it up, no matter what. Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the new site!
Thank you for your good wishes with my new website, Yolanda. What a lot of work! And thank you so much for sharing your insight here at Adventures in Writing. All best to you!
DeleteI don't see why I'd quit. I also like finding out more about myself, even if I'm just writing in my journal. I amaze myself with the topics I write about in my children's stories. They reflect what is important to me. Thanks for this post.
ReplyDeleteI think most writers write to understand themselves, Dawn. We write to understand themes and topics important to us, too. All the luck with your children's stories. You can do this!
DeleteIt's always a pleasure seeing you here at Adventures in Writing. Thanks so much for your note. Enjoy your weekend!
I think many of us would have quit long ago if money and fame were the goal. It's about communication and connection. If you've managed to speak to just one reader and help them in any way, it's hard to turn your back on that.
ReplyDeleteSo true, Nick! And it is wonderful to know that you have indeed helped someone. Thank you so much for offering your insight here at Adventures in Writing. Have a beautiful weekend!
DeleteThe people who stick with it have to be in it from the inside. Writing is a calling in that way. @samanthabwriter from
ReplyDeleteBalancing Act
Hello and welcome to Adventures in Writing, Samantha! Writing is definitely a calling.
DeleteThank you so much for sharing your insight with the readers of Adventures in Writing. I so appreciate it! Have a beautiful day!
Good point about the fellowship afforded by connecting with other authors on social media--like you! That connection was a lifesaver to me during the pandemic shutdown. Best wishes for abundant words & inspiration in July, and thanks for co-hosting!
ReplyDeleteHello and welcome to Adventures in Writing, Sadira. It's nice to "meet" you, too. All people need connection, I think. The human is a social animal.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing your insight and offering kind words here at Adventures in Writing. I so appreciate it! Have a beautiful day!
Tbreit, I need your blog site so I may visit you. Your profile page doesn't offer a blog address. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteIf money and fame were the goal, I'd have been out long ago. Money? Ok. Fame? Yeah, not so much. Too much of an introvert here. I write to get the voices and pictures in my head out of my head. At the end of the day, I love the places and people of my stories and I can only hope some other people, might, as well. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteHi Lee! I love my characters and their adventures too. They seem real to me. Sometimes I get lost in their worlds and am startled when real life intervenes.
DeleteThanks so much for sharing your insight here at Adventures in Writing. I so appreciate it! Have a beautiful day!
Excellent reasons to keep going! And we all share most of those reasons to quit, yet we continue to write, and to share.
ReplyDeleteHello and welcome to Adventures in Writing, Rebecca! I'm so glad you stopped by. Reasons to keep writing. I live by them.
DeleteThanks for weighing in on this topic here at Adventures in Writing. Thanks so much for your note. Enjoy your week!
Self-knowledge is a great benefit to writing. :)
ReplyDeleteIt sure is, Yvonne! Thanks so much for your comment here at Adventures in Writing. I appreciate it. Enjoy your week!
Delete"Victoria is trying to understand herself and her world better." Love this!
ReplyDeleteWriting is a way to engage with the world, both internally and externally.
Absolutely, Lori! Thanks so much for your kind words here at Adventures in Writing. I truly appreciate them. All best to you!
DeleteThank Victoria Marie for co-hosting this month.
ReplyDeleteIn a nutshell you nailed in your post all the insecurities of us writers, especially those with families, forever balancing two jobs + a third, writing.
So no wonder we can't make ends meet with only our art/craft. But creativity is always part of who we are, so we are all in this together and The IWSG enables us to "wait" on one another's contributions, at least 12 times a year. Famous, huff ! Who would like that ? only hassle, I would say. Freedom of expression has no price.
Wishing you a fruitful summer of writing. Take care. Susan from France.
Hello and welcome to Adventures in Writing, Susan! I'm so glad you stopped by...all the way from France. Wow!
ReplyDeleteI truly appreciate your sharing your insight here at Adventures in Writing. "Forever balancing two jobs +" can sometimes be an understatement. Yikes! Thanks for stopping by. Please visit again!
Thanks for co-hosting! I love the connection and sense of community which comes from the IWSG, too. More than enough reason to keep writing, right there :)
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely right, S.E.! This community keeps us going...even through a pandemic. Thanks so much for leaving a note here at Adventures in Writing. It's appreciated. All best to you!
DeleteIt's nice to know other writers feel the same insecurities and the most important aspect is the desire to write.
ReplyDeleteRight you are, Luciana! It does help to know we're not alone in our insecurities. All the luck with your writing endeavors. Thanks for stopping by Adventures in Writing. I appreciate it. All best to you!
ReplyDeleteLuciana, I need your blog site so I may visit you. Your profile page doesn't offer a blog address, and I can't find you in the IWSG list. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi Victoria - you said it ... you write for yourself. I have to admit I'd never have known I could write and connect with others ... as I do via the blog - but not for reward, just the enjoyment of introducing others to subjects of life they perhaps hadn't thought of - nor had I - usually!
ReplyDeleteBut it's brilliant you're here helping so many others ... while you're learning, keeping the family organised etc and then the occasional camping trip ... just enjoy and thank you for all you're doing - cheers Hilary
Thank you so much for your kind words here at Adventures in Writing, Hilary. I truly appreciate them. Really! And I so enjoy learning new things from your blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all you do as well, to help others learn. It's always a pleasure seeing you here at Adventures in Writing. Thanks so much for your note. Enjoy your weekend!
Those are good reasons to write, Victoria! And I think that’s why most of us write. Out of enjoyment, to share insights, experiences, stories, tips, adventures, and to create something (with words) out of nothing (a blank sheet or screen). Thank you for co-hosting this month!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words, Liesbet. I truly appreciate them. It's always a pleasure seeing you here at Adventures in Writing. Thanks so much for your note. Enjoy your week!
ReplyDelete