On Giving Up

I’ll never admit it again after this, but I think I gave up a few times.

Which is probably why I dumped on the Cenas and Kents and Aragorns. Being told not to give up felt like a personal diss track.

I’m also too prickly to ignore a good insult. So I’d inevitably try again to prove that it was in fact impossible, and they were dumb to suggest otherwise. Unfortunately, I’m good at arguing.

I took a few years off from smiling. I could wank about death, matrimony, or advertising, but it was just me. Healthy in the first world, and grumbling at my luck.

That attitude drew me to pseudonyms, avatars, and anonymity. Failure is more artful (and more fun) when it doesn’t come back to you. I sort of sold out when you learned my name. Which, it turns out, was for the best. I sincerely recommend selling out.

Now my dream feels alive for the first time in ten years. I think that means I don’t have to be Blind Monkey, or Amadeus, or even Ruby, to feel right. Being Dennard looks like a decent idea again.

I won’t say never give up, because I don’t really have the right to. I’ll probably quit again the next time I lose my keys. But be sure to un-give up, and minimize your downtime.

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Also, preordering my book cures ennui.

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