Quitters Never Win…
Yesterday on The Time For Change blog, NGS explained her star rating for books she’s read. She said she rarely gives books one or two stars because she would probably just DNF it instead. In the comments I shared that I rarely, rarely DNF a book, and it’s all because of Middlemarch. I read Middlemarch about twenty-five years ago. For at least the first half of the book, I hated it. This was back when I read a lot of classics and enjoyed them- but Middlemarch was so, so dull. I considered quitting it, but for some reason kept slogging on. Well… after the first half, the book got better and better. And better. Today I couldn’t tell you one thing about the plot, but I remember exactly where I was when I finished it- and at the end I was so moved, I cried. Now, that’s an extreme example of going from hating a book to loving it. But now when I’m reading a book and not really enjoying it I can’t help thinking, “What if it gets better? What if the ending is amazing? If I quit now, I’ll never know!” I know a lot of people don’t hesitate to DNF a book they don’t like, so they can move onto something they will enjoy. I can almost never bring myself to do that. A couple weeks ago I talked about my frustration with my foot. After eleven shockwave treatments, it STILL hurts. I’m sure people are wondering, “Why in the world does she continue to get this treatment if it’s not working???” Well… My doctor explained that for some people it takes four treatments. Some go on to have four more, and the truly unlucky ones (ahem) may need even more. He said that this treatment always works- sometimes it just takes a long time. I can’t give up on it- what if it gets better? What if the ending is amazing? I have to find out. That said, when is the ending, exactly? When my foot is 100% healed? When I run out of money? How do you know when to pull the plug on something that truly isn’t working? How about you- do you DNF books? Do you have trouble changing once you’ve decided on a course of action? Ever read Middlemarch?