Disappointment

This article about writers and disappointment by S.J. Culver rings true to me, and at the same time it really makes it clear how different my experience of this whole business is from that of most people. Let's not go over my expectations (they're, uh, completely ridiculous) but let's do consider the possibility that going around assuming you're never going to "make it," never going to accomplish your dreams, never going to be happy or ever satisfied with anything you make, is not a good way to live, and not a good way to write great words. My ambitions are extremely unlikely by any rational measure, and I plan for the possibility of their failure, but I don't know how I could keep working this hard if I didn't think something worthwhile would come of it. When people say they aren't good enough to make it I wonder why they don't try to get better, and when they are bitter about how great writing never reaches the idiot masses I wonder about that too, about a lot of things.

I'm not sure what I have to add here, I guess, beyond my continual surprise at the way people let these things make them bitter. If it makes you bitter, why do it? If it hurts so bad, why bother? It's supposed to be fun.