I ask myself similar questions all the time, and I frequently feel discouraged. Not only do I spend ridiculous amounts of time writing, I do everything I can to amplify the voices of other queer writers. Hell, I spend practically all day every Sunday writing the Prism & Pen weekly newsletter, hoping I can find just the right words, pull just the right quotes, craft just the right title to convince somebody to read something you wrote and that other people wrote.

I craft my own stories just as carefully. Often, I feel very discouraged. Often, our newsletters don't get much attention. Often, my own stories don't get much attention. I'm in a slump right now. None of the three stories I wrote last week found significant readership or engagement.

So, today, I have to psych myself up. I have to step up to the plate and swing the bat even though I don't feel like it. I have to risk putting in 6 to 8 hours of work that might not amount to more than preaching to the choir.

I will take the risk, however, and here's why:

I know my words impact people sometimes. I know my stories find relatively large audiences sometimes. I know those two facts are not necessarily connected. I've received emails from strangers thanking me for inspiring them or helping them ... regarding stories that are popular and stories that are not popular.

The same is true for you. You do influence people. Sometimes, you influence a lot of people. The only way to keep doing that is to keep stepping up to the plate, even when doing so is discouraging or painful.

You know, in pro baseball, a batter who strikes out two out of three times is a hero, and even a batter who strikes out 3 out of 4 times can be a very valuable team member.

You're doing good work. Keep it up!