Is my Writing Good Enough? Fighting Self-Doubt
Updated: Apr 2
Yeah, this post was a long time coming...but I hope you all enjoy it! I'm sorry this is so late...lol...have a great one!
I’m a comparison person. I compare my right hand with my left, how much I got done in a day to how much my sister did. I compare prices (which makes me a killer bargain shopper and my mom has totally taken advantage of that) and I compare myself and my writing to others.
I’m always falling low of these expectations. These comparisons somehow always leave me on the short side wondering why I even bother writing. So and so is obviously better at romance, so and so obviously is the queen of suspense, and well, you know, such and such as taken Middle-Grade fantasy to a whole new level that I can’t even touch, so why am I here?
It’s hard to get that negative voice in my head to stop once it gets going. Every word I write from then on out is tainted by that comparison. Looks ugly and unworthy to be on the page. Every character feels flat. Every scene feels stiff. Maybe I’m not cut out for this? Is the nagging thought at the back of my mind. Perhaps, I’m just not good enough? Perhaps, I should just throw in the hat and call it a great run but not what I’m supposed to do.
But…I’m here to tell you that your writing IS good enough! That you are cut out for this! That you can do it! And you should never under any circumstances throw in the hat! You know why?
Your writing is always going to look worse to you than it will to anyone else. Well, once you get past the ‘everything I write is awesome stage’. Which is right about when you start learning the ‘show don’t tell’ rule…what a killer! Ruins all the fun…lol…
You will always be your own worst critic and biggest fan all wrapped up into one ball. Your story is both your baby and the bane of your life. You both love it and hate it equally…but you should never give up on it! Never!
Who cares if Sue is better at romance, or if Nancy writes better suspense? MG taken to a new level, pshaw, that’s their level, not yours. Really if we were going to play that game no one shoulder ever write anything ever again because in every genre there is someone who has been declared the master or masters. They are the standard, and most cannot even touch what they have done…so why try?
Because your story is unique. It is not Sue’s or Nancy’s it may not be your favorite author’s…but…it is yours! Your story, your unique story that God has given to you to write! A story that may touch millions or maybe only one…but that’s not what matters. What matters is that you did it. You wrote the story that God gave you. You didn’t quit. You didn’t give in.
Your writing matters! It is better to write for an Audience of One, the only one who truly counts than to write for the millions who don’t. Or to not write at all. You’re writing is better than you think! Worth every second of the hard work you pour in! And who knows…you may change someone’s life with the word you write.
Bless!
Kaytlin (Kayti) Phillips