3 Important Reason to be Proud You're a Writer

by Beth K. Vogt @BethVogt

I don’t know who needs to hear this right now—maybe it’s you.

Lean in and listen close:

I’m proud of you.

But Beth, you say, how can you be proud of me? You don’t know what my writing life is like. You don’t know what this week, this month, this year, has been like for me. You don’t know all the things I haven’t accomplished.

Please take a deep breath, my friend. Stop arguing with me while I say it again: I’m proud of you.

We’ve used 195 days in 2024, which means we have 171 days left in the year. (Yes, I “mathed,” thanks to my trusty iPhone calculator.)

We’re more than halfway through this year and I have no doubt that for some of us—all of us—the year hasn’t gone the way we’ve planned. Even those of us who’ve won writing contests or landed an agent or signed a contract, there still have been disappointments and difficult times. 

That’s why I’m taking today to cheer you on. Why? Sit back and I’ll tell you. 

I’m proud of you for setting goals. Even if you didn’t achieve every single writing objective, you aimed for something, right? You tried. Remember this: “One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks.” Jack Penn (1909-1996) surgeon, sculpture, & author

I’m proud of you for persevering. We’re almost halfway through July and you’re still here, pursuing your writing dream. Sure, you may wish things looked different. You haven’t accomplished everything you wanted to. But there’s still time, right? You have today, tomorrow—171 days left in 2024. Remember this: “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and this thing must be attained.” Marie Curie (1867-1934), physicist and chemist 

I’m proud of you for helping others. We’re all busy with both writing life and real life. When you come alongside another writer and encourage them, help them grow so they can achieve their dreams—that’s a beautiful thing. An act of kindness. A sacrifice of time, yes, but also sharing what someone else has done for you. Remember this: “Be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece, make friendship a fine art, drink deeply from good books—especially the Bible, build a shelter against a rainy day, give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day.”John Wooden (1910-2010), American basketball coach

Be proud of yourself today, my friend. Keep setting and resetting your writing goals, keep persevering, and keep helping other writers! 

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Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” She’s authored 15 novels and novellas, both contemporary romance and women’s fiction. Beth is a Christy Award winner, an ACFW Carol Award winner, and a  RITA® finalist. Her newest contemporary romance novel, Dedicated to the One I Love, released June 20, 2023. Her novel Things I Never Told You, book one in her Thatcher Sisters Series by Tyndale House Publishers, won the 2019 AWSA Golden Scroll Award for Contemporary Novel of the Year. An established magazine writer and former editor of the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth blogs for Learn How to Write a Novel and The Write Conversation and also enjoys speaking to writers group and mentoring other writers. She lives in Colorado with her husband Rob, who has adjusted to discussing the lives of imaginary people. Connect with Beth at bethvogt.com.