Even when it falls apart
In the novelist’s profession, as far as I’m concerned, there’s no such thing as
winning or losing. Maybe numbers of copies sold, awards won,
and critics’ praise serve as outward standards for
accomplishment in literature, but none of them really matter.
What’s crucial is whether your writing attains the standards
you’ve set for yourself. Failure to reach that bar is not something
you can easily explain away. When it comes to other people, you
can always come up with a reasonable explanation, but you can’t
fool yourself. In this sense, writing novels and running full
marathons are very much alike. Basically a writer has a quiet,
inner motivation, and doesn’t seek validation in the outwardly
visible.
-Haruki Murakami
winning or losing. Maybe numbers of copies sold, awards won,
and critics’ praise serve as outward standards for
accomplishment in literature, but none of them really matter.
What’s crucial is whether your writing attains the standards
you’ve set for yourself. Failure to reach that bar is not something
you can easily explain away. When it comes to other people, you
can always come up with a reasonable explanation, but you can’t
fool yourself. In this sense, writing novels and running full
marathons are very much alike. Basically a writer has a quiet,
inner motivation, and doesn’t seek validation in the outwardly
visible.
-Haruki Murakami