Writers Who Never Gave Up on Their Dreams By Samantha Fey l Celebs Who Didnt Give Up l Inspiring Stories

Anita Shreve said, “The only difference between a published writer and an unpublished writer is the published writer never gave up.” We’ve all heard stories of writers who seemingly achieve, overnight success, like Stephanie Meyers in her Twilight series. But most writers spend years toiling away before we get a chance to enter their writer’s world. Madeleine L’Engle decided to give up writing on her 40th birthday after her manuscript A Wrinkle in Time had been rejected once again. She writes in her Crosswicks Journals that she covered the typewriter, descended the stairs, and realized she was narrating her actions in her head. A writer writes. The following is a brief synopsis of five famous authors who never gave up on their dream. I hope their stories inspire you to embrace your dream and never give up.

Dr. Suess

Dr. Suess graduated from Dartmouth and went on to study at Oxford never believing that he could turn his love of doodling into a career. But he eventually secured a job as a cartoonist for Judge magazine earning $75 a week in 1927. He wrote his first book in 1936 and began shopping it around to publishers. The day he received his 27th rejection, he bumped into a Dartmouth friend who happened to be a children’s book editor at Vanguard Press and agreed to publish his book. Seuss later accepted a challenge to write an engaging child’s first reading primer. It took him more than a year but finally A Cat in the Hat was published to great success in 1957. Imagine if he had stopped at the 27th rejection letter. We’d never know the Grinch or Sneetches or the Lorax.

Stephen King

In 1973, Stephen King was penniless trying to support a family in a doublewide trailer. His wife worked second shift at the local Dunkin Donuts and King taught English at a private school. When he was offered an opportunity to be an advisor - a position that would have given the family a $300 raise - his wife asked if it would leave him time to write. When King said, “No, not much,” she urged him not to take the job. After writing three novels that got nothing but rejection letters, he put the first draft of his fourth novel Carrie in the trashcan. Luckily for us, his wife Tabby pulled it out. A few months later, he received a telegram from an editor at Doubleday that read, “Congratulations. Carrie officially a Doubleday book. Is $2,500 advance ok? The future lies ahead. Love, Bill.” Stephen King is now the 19th best-selling author of all time. Thank you Tabby King.