Sometimes you just try to pull a catchy title out of the air and hope it makes as much sense on the page as it does in your head.
Such is the case with the title to this post.
The question "Does a Writer Write if No One is Around to Read the Writing?" is jokingly in reference "Does a tree falls in a forest does it still make a sound if no one is around to hear it?" The pursuit of a new writer trying to gain traction in a writing community, be it through representation or publication, seems similar to me. I have only had a few things publish, which at the time of this writing is recent, and so my views on this topic are my own, nothing 100% set in stone or guaranteed by any means. That is to say, I am still figuring out how to keep getting my work out into the world!
That being said, the simple answer to the question this post title asks is: YES.
A simple answer, perhaps, but it is far from a simple task. For the writer who is set on pursuing a career in writing, the work is always pressing. I write short stories, poetry, screenplays, and the occasional blog post, all of which I hope will reach an audience. But if I choose to write then the writing is the job. Even when that job doesn't pay, which most times it doesn't, I am still writing. From what I gather in the writing community I am slowly becoming a part of, it seems that the same idea is true of others. The "successful" writers keep writing. They keep showing up and turning out new work that is often better than a previous work, so their skills build off of their work each time.
I am in pursuit of that conviction. To not hold anything in, nor give anything up. To show up each day and write when I can, as much as I can and revising where necessary to put forth my best work yet. I hope a day comes when I can make a living off of my work, that would be the icing, but I also know the stories, ideas, and characters living in my head deserve their day in the sun regardless. So I will keep writing and telling stories wherever I can. And though my artwork has been less seen over the last year or so, I continue painting and drawing for my own joy than for projects just yet.
The is more to come. More to be done.
And even if no one is there to read this. I've said it for me. Keep going. Don't give up.
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