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Why I’m Glad I’m Still Struggling as a Writer

Success early in life is a curse

David B. Clear
4 min readNov 22, 2021
Image by the author.

We are all chasing success like a dog chases its bacon-wrapped tail. But you know what? I’d rather chew on armpit crust than be a young writer who gets a viral hit in their second month — a writer who makes the big bucks from the very start. Early success isn’t something that should be envied. It’s a curse.

You see, I’m two years into my full-time writing career and I still can’t pay for my groceries, let alone rent. The only reason I’m still at it is that I keep getting positive feedback from my readers, which deludes me into believing that this whole thing will eventually pay off.

Now, of course I had hoped for more by now, but I’m also kinda glad I’m still struggling like a crippled goldfish being flushed down the toilet. I’m glad I find it so hard to make money as a writer and that success doesn’t come easy to me.

Why?

Because all that struggle has taught me at least one thing — how to spell freaking humility. That doesn’t mean I don’t have an ego. I certainly have. But I’m quite sure it’s not as big as an inflated whale bladder.

Early success leads to huge egos

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David B. Clear
David B. Clear

Written by David B. Clear

Cartoonist, science fan, PhD, eukaryote. Doesn't eat cats, dogs, nor other animals. 1,000x Bottom Writer. davidbclear.com

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