Originally, I'd posted the following as entry in a writers forum to help new or experienced, but less confident, writers come to grips with the writing process without feeling rejected. I'd seen several submissions by burgeoning writers, asking for critique or feedback, asking things like "do I have a career path in writing?" or the self-doubt I'm sure every writer, including myself, has faced. I became incredibly disheartened because, in this particular group, I'd seen many anonymous commenters tearing these new writers to pieces over simple mistakes, or over their grammatical errors, or just frivolous things that would never alter the trajectory of a writing career. I'd also seen writers give up on writing after suffering such comments. This was my response to those writers. It was my effort to speak truth in a place of pitfalls and judgement.