You Die Without Knowing

144 words

I tried to write about professional writers who constantly complain about not being sufficiently celebrated, but it all felt so repetitive: while jealousy may be normal, being indignant— angry with the world for not seeing your work as you see it— is both poisonous and profane.

Many of us occasionally feel ignored, but there are two kinds of writers who make these complaints constantly—the correct and incorrect. Those who are correct in assuming that their contributions have not met with commensurate acclaim should refrain from these complaints because they will surely degrade both their talent and ability to persevere. Those who are incorrect should cease whining for more obvious reasons.

And as Berryman explained to Merwin, you cannot know which side you’re on, as writers

die without knowing

whether anything you wrote was any good

if you have to be sure don't write.