Train Track Sunset by The Lightning ManHave you ever run across this quote, commonly attributed to Goethe?

“What you can do, or dream you can do, begin it! Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”

Or, some might prefer the Zen saying, “Now is the right time.”

It occurred to me sharp and sudden this week, as I was staring at my calendar deadline for this article, that I have no more advice to give writers that I haven’t already offered.

I’m done. At least for now.

I’ve been writing, editing, and publishing advice for writers since 2001. I’ve seen a lot of change since then, and I’ve enjoyed tackling new topics related to that change since 2008. I still love teaching, speaking, and contemplating how writers succeed in this digital age. I still love challenging people to think different about what it means to be a writer and author. That all remains.

But I have no more sound bites to offer a general audience on a regular schedule.

For those of you who follow my blog at JaneFriedman.com, you’ll see a dramatic pull back from me personally on the writing advice end. I’ll still host guests and book excerpts—and Porter Anderson’s Writing on the Ether column will continue—but I’ll be more silent.

As some of you know, I just took a new job as web editor of the Virginia Quarterly Review, and that does play a role in my decision. My energy and attention have shifted. But also, I have my own long-term projects I’d like to pursue—book projects (for writers and not-for-writers) and multimedia projects—that will never move forward unless I save time somewhere.

Now is the right time.

My parting advice:

  • Be bold once it’s clear what you want.
  • Be patient.
  • Be persistent.
  • Don’t be afraid to fail. It’s what you do after that counts.

Thanks for reading me all these years.

Photo credit: Striking Photography by Bo

Jane Friedman is the web editor of the Virginia Quarterly Review, an award-winning national journal, where she leads online and digital content strategy. She also teaches digital publishing at the University of Virginia. Before joining VQR, Jane was the publisher of Writer's Digest (F+W Media), and an assistant professor of e-media at the University of Cincinnati. Read more of her work, and explore her writing advice archive, at JaneFriedman.com.
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