Karl Whitney: When the journey of a writer hits a wall, it’s the perfect time to reflect

While writers ply their trade due to their love of the medium, waiting to reach the next stage in a writer’s career is a unique creative challenge

Breakthroughs come and breakthroughs go, as Paul Simon once sang, but the space between breakthroughs can be arduous the longer they draw on.

Writing can seem a thankless task. You grind away at your work in isolation, perhaps accompanied by the scepticism of family and friends.

You do your best but it’s only natural sometimes to feel that you’re operating in a vacuum — that no one is reading or listening. Perhaps it’s easier to give up?