A bit of an update on my "Why am I Here?" problem.

Hey everybody! I know a few of you asked about the update on my "Why am I Here?" problem. <br><br>Quick recap: I am a novelist. I had the idea for my current novel for nearly a decade. I was super excited about it. I started writing it two months ago, and after a month of intense writing, I hit a wall. Fatigue, self-doubt, not knowing why I am writing this story, feeling like I am just doing this for the wrong reasons and really unsure if I should keep going or not. It was so tough. I was very stressed, and very disappointed in myself, I didn't know what was going on. <br><br>I posted about it on Chambers, and a ton of you replied. I've never gotten so many replies on Chambers in my entire life, and this post got added to a bunch of lists, so I had a bunch of people come out of the woodwork. It was incredibly touching, and not gonna lie, it did bring a tear to my eye. Most of you were telling me to put the project down, so many of you shared your experiences of working on stuff that didn't go anywhere, and some of you were saying to keep going. <br><br>A few of you reached out to me, even some people with blue checks. Your kindness is not lost on me, and I still don't know how to express how much I appreciate that. <br><br>I stopped writing the novel, and I took two weeks off. I worked on my physical health, I worked on my mental health, I took my dog on runs, I cleaned my house, I reconnected with friends. I did a lot. <br><br>And then I had an idea for a short story. It was totally out of the blue. I hadn't written a short story in over two years, and this idea just came to me. It was a pretty simple idea, but I sat down and I wrote a draft. It was a very difficult draft. The words wouldn't come out right, and I had a hard time saying what I was trying to say, but nonetheless, I finished it.<br><br>That week, I also went to see a therapist. I needed to talk to somebody, I've been so lost this year, and it felt so nice to vent to an impartial listener. <br><br>I have no idea what the future of my short story is, but I'm gonna bring it to my writer's group, and from there, who knows. It may never go anywhere, but I'm gonna keep writing, I'm gonna keep experimenting, I'm gonna keep trying, until I get where I need to go. <br><br>I still don't have a solid answer to my "Why am I Here?" problem, but I do feel a little better. I am grateful for the support network that I have here. You guys are amazing, and I love you all so much. I know that I'll be back to writing novels one day. I love what I do, I love the world that I have created, I love my characters, and I love the idea of creating a story that will inspire people. I am grateful for writing, and I'm gonna keep doing it. <br><br>It's okay to set a project down, it's okay to not finish something, it's okay to walk away, it's okay to not know why you're doing something. The best advice was to go to therapy. I'm not going to stop writing, I'm just going to write for the right reasons. <br><br>Thank you all for your wisdom, your kindness, and your help.