Dealing with Discouragement

Recently, a friend and fellow writer told me they felt discouraged about writing. They were upset about so many people being unable to spot the differences between a good story and a bad story.  Real gems languish in dusty corners while insults to the English language fly off the shelves.  And not just books, but movies too.  Their question was: “If people can’t tell the difference between good and bad stories, why put forth the effort of crafting a really good story?”  Thinking out the rules of the world, creating three-dimensional characters, filling plot holes to make a seamless narrative…all of that takes work.  And if people don’t notice and don’t care, then why bother?

(NOTE: The movie links contain spoilers!)

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