(Or, Why You Should Write the Book Anyway)
Let’s be honest.
You can sit down with your notebook or open that blank doc and ask yourself one simple question:
“What’s the point?”
Will anyone read this?
Will anyone care about this story?
Do I even care enough to keep going?
This feeling can sneak in early, like on page one, or pop up halfway through a draft that was going fine until it suddenly wasn’t. And once it shows up, it’s hard to shake. You look at the hours you’ve spent, the mental energy you’re still pouring in, and you start wondering if this story is just going to sink quietly into the internet without a splash.
Here’s the truth:
Every writer feels this.
Every single one.
Even the ones with book deals and fancy blurbs and readers lined up at signings. Even the ones who seem confident online and post cute videos with coffee and aesthetic writing setups.
So, let’s talk about it.
Let’s talk about how to keep writing even when the doubt is loud.
Let’s talk about what to do when it feels like your words might not matter.
And why they still absolutely do.
First, Let’s Not Pretend
You might not have a big audience.
Your book might not sell thousands of copies.
You may not go viral.
Your friends and family might not even read it.
That sucks. And you’re allowed to say it.
We don’t have to sugarcoat the hard parts of writing.
This isn’t a motivational poster, and we’re not here for toxic positivity.
Sometimes writing feels lonely. Sometimes it feels like shouting into the void. That feeling can suck the life out of your creativity if you don’t know what to do with it.
But just because no one’s watching doesn’t mean it isn’t worth doing.
The Work Still Matters
There’s a quote that floats around creative circles:
“Do it for the process, not the applause.”
Sure. That sounds cute. But sometimes you really want the applause. You want someone to say, “This is good,” or, “I needed this,” or, “Holy crap, did you write this?”
That kind of feedback is human. It’s validating. But it can’t be your only fuel.
If you write only for approval, you’ll burn out before you finish.
The real magic happens when you shift the goal away from being seen and toward the joy of making something. Creating a character who makes you laugh. Nailing a moment that hits you right in the chest. Solving a plot twist that felt impossible last week.
Those moments are small, but they’re powerful. They’re yours. And they’re the heart of what keeps real writers going.
Nobody Cares… Yet
Let’s reframe the original thought.
If you’ve been thinking, “Nobody cares about my writing,” try adding one word to it: yet.
No one might care yet.
But you haven’t finished it.
You haven’t shared it.
You haven’t given anyone the chance.
There are books that didn’t find readers until years after they were published. There are authors who were rejected over and over before someone finally said yes. There are novels that didn’t catch fire until the author’s third or fourth release.
Your work can still find its people.
But it has to exist first.
So the next time your brain says, “This doesn’t matter,” tell it you’ll decide that after the story is finished—not before it even has a chance.
How to Finally Start Your Book Getting Started can help you take that very first step if you’re still staring down the blank page. Sometimes moving forward begins with just beginning.
Art Has Ripples You Can’t See
Maybe your story only reaches one person. And maybe that person is you. That’s not failure, that’s art doing its first job: shaping the one who created it. Writing changes us. It stretches our patience, deepens our empathy, and sharpens the way we see the world. Even if no one else ever reads a single line, the process of creating still matters.
Maybe you grow in ways you can’t fully measure right now. Art doesn’t always give us instant proof that it worked. Sometimes it shows up later, in how you handle grief, or how you listen to someone you love, or how you finally learn to trust your own voice. That growth is quiet but lasting.
Maybe you share something in a writing group that sparks someone else’s breakthrough. Maybe you share something small, a sentence you almost deleted, and it sparks someone else’s breakthrough. You’ll never know how many writers keep going because they saw you keep going. Inspiration isn’t always loud. Sometimes it looks like steady footsteps that make others braver.
Maybe your words land in a place you didn’t plan for, with someone who needed them more than you’ll ever know. A stranger might underline a passage, or save a screenshot, or whisper your line to a friend at just the right moment. You might never see the ripples, but they’re there.
Sometimes art makes a huge splash. A bestseller. A viral post. A review that gets passed around. And that’s beautiful. But sometimes art makes only quiet ripples that move silently through the world. They’re no less powerful for being unseen.
Both are valid.
Both matter.
You’re Allowed to Write Just Because You Want To
Not every story has to be a bestseller. Not every project needs to be productive.
You’re allowed to write because it feels good.
Because it helps you understand something about yourself.
Because it’s fun.
Because you have an idea you can’t stop thinking about.
Because it’s yours.
That’s enough.
You don’t need a guarantee that it will change someone’s life.
Sometimes the act of writing is the change.
What to Do When the Doubt Gets Loud
Here are a few ways to keep going when the “no one cares” voice won’t shut up:
1. Write a Letter to Your Future Reader
Even if you don’t have one yet. Even if you don’t believe anyone’s out there.
Picture the one person your book might reach someday. Write them a note. Tell them why you wrote this story. What you hope they’ll feel. What you’d want them to know.
Then tuck it away and keep writing.
2. Reconnect With Your “Why”
Why did this story come to you?
What sparked the idea?
What made you say, “I want to write this”?
Get back in touch with that spark. Let it fuel you for a little while.
3. Talk to Other Writers
The fastest way to realize you’re not alone is to talk to someone who’s in it too.
Join a group. Send a message. Share the doubt out loud.
Writers get it. And being reminded that this is normal can make all the difference.
4. Take the Pressure Off
If finishing the book feels too big, just write a scene.
If the scene feels too big, write a sentence.
You don’t have to write for the world.
You just have to write for today.
You don’t need permission. Not from an agent, a publisher, or the mysterious “market.” The act of writing belongs to you. Nobody else gets to decide whether you’re allowed to tell a story.
You don’t need proof. You don’t have to show a contract, a pre-order list, or a pile of glowing reviews to justify sitting down with your words. Writing itself is reason enough.
You don’t need a guaranteed audience or a plan to go viral. Those things are unpredictable anyway. What you need is the willingness to start, even without a crowd watching. Most art begins in quiet spaces.
What you need is curiosity. The kind that makes you wonder, “What happens if I follow this character a little further? What if I let this idea breathe?” Curiosity is fuel, and it will take you farther than pressure ever could.
You need patience. Books grow slowly. Drafts take time. Every chapter is a step, even if it feels messy. Trust that progress is happening, even when it looks small.
And you need to trust that creating something has value, even if it’s not visible right away. Just because you can’t measure the impact doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Art always leaves traces.
You are not wasting your time. Writing isn’t a distraction from “real life.” It is real life; the part where you explore, imagine, and leave something behind that didn’t exist before.
You are building something no one else can build. That alone makes it worth the effort.
And even if no one cares today, that doesn’t mean no one ever will. Stories have long lives. Sometimes they find their readers years later, at exactly the right moment.
So write the story. Write it for yourself, because you want to see what happens. Write it for future readers, because someone out there needs it. Write it for the version of you who still believes it’s possible.
Because it is.
You might also enjoy:
You don’t have to “write every day” (and other toxic myths)
Book launch basics for indie authors
Finding your writing voice when everything feels awkward
Imposter syndrome: Why it’s so common (and how to shut it up)