I found this quote from a fellow countryman, born in my hometown.
- Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.
To me, it sums up the importance of enjoying the writing process rather than focusing on the end goal.
I for one am thoroughly pleased by this as my entry into the world of children's writing began solely as a hobby that best suited my need for flexibility - both in setting and time.
Not that I'm any different to other writers in my aspiration for success and publication! Of course I'd love to have something published for the world to enjoy, but it's all too easy to get caught up in 'the rat race'.
The more you read on writing, and the more forums, blogs etc. you follow, the easier it is to feel like you've entered a race for publication. At times like this it's important to take a step back and evaluate why you write and what your goal is. It's also important to remember that taking time and care over your work is incredibly valuable as this is an important contributing factor to the eventual publication (or not) of your work.
Rather invest the time and energy into producing a few great manuscripts than a lot of good-average ones! After all, if you're not thrilled with your efforts you can hardly expect other to be ;)
For now I'm aiming to be the tortoise rather than the hare!
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