I'd probably follow W.C. Fields advice on quitting:

'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it.'

Have you submitted your book and had rejections or are you at the writing/polishing stage?

Personally, my book and reviewing are in the deep freeze at the moment (is that procrastination?) because I've had to begin university again so I can learn the language of the country we've emigrated to. I hate the fact that I can't seem to find time to write.

There appears to be a simultaneous movement among those of us who started writing/putting our work up for appraisal around the same time. We've overdosed on criticism, both giving and receiving and now we are hamstrung by having become so critical of our own work, we can't take it forwards. We've painted ourselves into a corner!

Some have also come to the conclusion that there isn't a hope in hell of being published by traditional routes, but can't bear the idea of self-publishing, which they see as admission of failure. I'm not saying I agree with this as I have self-published, but I understand the reluctance all too well.

I haven't quit writing fiction, but I am no longer pretending to write. I have ideas but not the will to get them down. If and when I get the urge to resume, that will be a bonus, but the world isn't waiting. We need to understand that when we make our decisions. the long and the short of it

I put my work up, warts and all, when I first start a novel just to see if there is interest. I already know it needs work so the sting of criticism doesn't hurt. One does need to separate yourself from crit groups at regular intervals or you'll go insane, decide your work is crap and no one will ever want to read it when it probably couldn't be further from the truth. I've read many, many great beginnings here.

I write all my novels from two points of view, usually separated and with their own agenda until I tie them back together at the end. Sometimes one character's part goes fantastic while the second one stalls somewhere at the halfway mark. It's a problem I'm facing right now. I just continue on with the one working and let the second half simmer. The answer will usually come when I least expect it-- which usually means a rewrite of their whole part, but this isn't anything new.

Sue, I can identify with that. A break away from writing and critique has been beneficial. I've continued to follow publishing news and writing blogs though, and I'm feeling positive about self publishing. I don't see it as second best anymore. As long as it's done properly, with outside editing and professional book cover etc then I see absolutely no reason why an author shouldn't make use of the choice to self publish.

Sarsen, one thing you could do in your creative downtime is write short fiction, but be careful! The form can be addictive...

Denna, I don't think I've ever spent five years on anything. Not sure if I'd have it in me. I'm currently finishing up the biggest creative project I've ever done, but only started that in April. The secret to maintaining momentum for me has been working with a partner.

On the point of being patient with new writers, sure, but I guess 'being patient' means increasing the proportion of 'positives' over 'things to be fixed', and using buffer phrases such as 'This is only one person's opinion but...'

The problem with that is you can never really tell who is a new writer and who has been writing for years, even if someone is new to YWO. The more pertinent question is how long someone has been receiving critique. It astounds me how many older adults are poor at receiving and responding to criticism in writing groups, because surely the modern workplace, with all of its appraisals and feedback forms means that few people these days are brand new to criticism. Or perhaps my
own work background has been higher on personal criticism than average.

The danger for me in putting up the starts of things when I haven't finished them is that I can be too heavily influenced by other people's visions. You'd have to have a strong vision in order to do that. For me, the 'vision' required for receiving critique doesn't come until after I've finished the first draft.

It's always good to have opinions. The alternative is not thinking about much at all. And that's no good to anyone here. I suppose there are times when it's better to keep opinions to oneself, though even then I'm not sure. If you don't express opinions you can't talk them through or be challenged on them, and I'm thinking of life generally here, not solely of writing groups.

Trying too hard to offset negatives, even for beginners, can be its own kind of coddling insincerity. In this I'm reminded of Nick P's shit sandwich analogy, which I probably remember because I was eating a vegemite sandwich at the time.