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The title says it all.
I told myself I wouldn’t post this, but… I needed to feel like I wasn’t the only one who ever asked themselves if their writing was “good enough.”
Long story short, I’ve been feeling like my writing is getting me nowhere, and no matter what, I criticize it tremendously. I begin to question my plot/characters/style, compare it to other writing, and then get down on myself because I feel like I’ll never be as good as other writers.
You see, I’ve been dying to have some beta readers on Kingdom Pen, but I just feel self-conscious and super shy about letting other people look at my writing because… I don’t know if it’s truly good. Which is probably why I don’t let my family read a lot of my writing.
It’s hard to explain, so if this makes no sense, the summary is this: I feel discouraged because I feel like my story idea/plot structure/writing style isn’t good enough.
Please tell me I’m not the only one who deals with discouragement like this… How does everybody else deal with this?
@writerlexi1216 Aww girl!!! Don’t you ever be too shy or afraid to post stuff like this on here!!
and you are definitely not alone! Listen, I’ve doubted my writing sooo much before, and, while I’m thankful it has gotten better, I still can’t wait for the day when I can edit it lol!!
And as for feeling your plot/characters aren’t good, I’ve felt that before too! And sometimes it’s so hard to explain. I think some of it is because we begin to get bored with it, because we’ve worked on it for so long so we question if it’s boring, when in reality it’s just because we’ve stuck with it for so long.
As for beta readers, if that is what u want to do, go for it! I know for a fact ppl on here would be willing, and seeing that others enjoy it might help u some!
or, if u don’t want to, then don’t. Do what you need to do, wether that means taking a break, working on a different project, editing, getting beta readers, etc. just do u, and trust me, I’m sure ur doing great!
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSeb@writerlexi1216 I’m so sorry you’re feeling this way! But let me tell you, you are most definitely not alone. In fact, doubting yourself actually means there’s a good chance you are a good writer! The thing is the most confident writers… are usually not very good writers. This is called the Dunning-Kruger effect. So, in a way, self-doubt is a good thing! Remember, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. And you will get through this. I will be praying for you. <3
Awww, thank you so much!!! <333 This brought a huge smile to my face 🙂 It makes me feel relieved that I’m not the only one who goes through this *sigh* so that’s like a huge weight off my shoulders.
I know exactly what you mean about getting bored with the story/characters. I’ve felt stuck because I keep re-reading scenes or just thinking about them that I start doubting it. That makes me feel better to hear you say that.
I may think about asking for beta readers soon, maybe. I’ll think about it!
Thank you soooo much for the encouragement! That really helps me to feel better : )
Thank you!! You’ve no idea how much it helps to hear you say those things <333 And I guess I’ve never really thought about it that way. I guess I thought that, if I was doubting my writing, then it was bad. But what you said makes sense! I super appreciate the kind words. Thank you! They mean so much 🙂
As others have said, you are not the only one who has struggled with feeling like your writing isn’t good enough. As a perfectionist, I often look at my writing in comparison to other authors and feel like it isn’t half what I’d like it to be. There are a few things that I know primarily to help me get through this very miserable feeling:
- Your worth isn’t tied to your writing. When we become(became) Christians, what we are doing is accepting Christ’s perfect identity in place of our broken and misshapen one — we condemned rebels are pardoned and get restored to a status as sons and daughters of the King. We die to ourselves and become servants of Christ and His siblings. You are not your writing, and it says absolutely nothing about your value. You are a child of the King and His opinion is all that matters. Don’t let your opinion of your writing control you, take delight in the gift of creativity God has given you. Your writing is not supposed to be completely satisfactory to the needs of your soul, only God Himself can satisfy us.
- Don’t be afraid to give yourself some grace, some of the greatest artists don’t feel satisfied with their work when it’s finished (J.R.R. Tolkien revised his original published work of LOTR after fourteen years because he was dissatisfied with the original published copy (I am unsure how reliable my sources for this fact are, but Tolkien did at some point revise his books)). Your writing will be flawed and you may never be 100% satisfied with it because you can see the flaws, as your writing is something you know somewhat intimately. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad, it just means you are a fallen descendant of Adam and Eve like every other human besides Christ, but your fallen-ness is the only requirement for your salvation, you need it, that’s why He came, and Jesus’s love for you is not affected by your writing abilities.
- One of the most helpful tools for me and my own encouragement and growth in my writing was having others read it and give me their feedback. I haven’t had many opportunities for this, but it’s proved a great help. But still, I sometimes freak out a little when I show other people my writing. But their opinions aren’t as important as Christ’s, and he loves you and care about your writing (if he loves us enough to count the hairs on our heads, then certainly he cares about our creative life!).
- I realized that I could put another point here, too that is extremely important: God wants us to talk to him about our concerns and to ask him things (not frivolous and selfish like, “I want a million dollars” but you know what I mean), and that does include our writing.
- You can set aside your expectations for your writing to be “good enough”.
GoodGreat writing comes with practice, time, and as you learn and grow into maturity. Be patient, writing takes time, and it’s not life-or-death if it’s good enough or no. It could just be
I think neither you nor I were expecting to send you so much information (I was also reminding and telling myself some of this info, so sorry if it’s overwhelming!), but in short, I know how you feel and have felt that way, and feel free to share your writing, because it may not be as bad as you feel, and that you don’t have to feel satisfied with it because our chief satisfaction comes from God.
We crazy people are the normal ones.
@writerlexi1216 You are not alone! I also struggle with doubt over my writing and often wonder if it is any good. I’m sorry you’re going through this!
One thing I like to remember is that your writing is your own and it is special because is it yours. No one else in the world can or will ever write exactly the way you do, and that’s one of the things that gives your writing immense value. You can get through this, and your writing matters!
As a matter of fact, this is my most common problem as a writer. I fall into the discouraged every-aspect-of-my-writing-seems-to-stink-especially-compared-to-so and so’s-writing.
I feel you all the way on this one. And I feel the same way about my beloved/hated WIP.
I recently watched some videos from a show (that I find annoying except for this one character, but that’s beside the point) and I love this character’s alter ego, I love his style, arc, humor, etc. Then I turned to my own characters and they seemed so… bland.And every time I look at my plot, it’s a mess, my character’s goals aren’t strong enough and when I begin a chapter, it leads to nowhere. Often times I believe my pen is made out of lead and is cursed. Then I won’t write for days because it’s just not going anywhere.
But I think criticizing our own work is something we writers do to ourselves out of habit. Because we see the world differently and because we are in a form, ‘perfectionists’. We want our writing to always be up to par with the newest ‘New York Times Bestsellers’ list and when it’s not, we criticize the life out of our work, (guilty as charged). But even the bestsellers were once in the spot that we are now. And even the guy who wrote “The Nutcracker” despised his play which is now an international phenomenon.
So that just goes to show (and to coin the phrase) that we are our own worst critics. Sure it may not be War and Peace material, (right now). But even Tolstoy, Tolkien, and Lewis started out somewhere with a few (many, many) scrambled drafts. That’s a reason why not everyone can write a book; because it takes perseverance.
I too, do not share my writing with anyone in my family except my little sister. But that is also sometimes recommended for writers because when writing stories that you will show to your family, you can become so focused on trying to please them and their expectations, that you don’t write the story that ought to be written. I’m by no means, saying that that’s always the case, but sometimes (and for me) it is.
Which leads to the point of how important and awesome a good writing community is! 😀And the truth of it is, is that the only writer you should ever compare yourself to is the writer you were yesterday. (That is a quote, but I forgot who said it XD ). But it’s the pure truth. And as Margaret Atwood once said, “it takes a certain amount of nerve to be a writer”. Just like taking up another craft or going on an adventure, there are risks and potholes involved. But the result/destination is so worth it:)
As for beta reading, I too struggle with sharing my work because I worry that it might be garbage. But no one here will critique unless asked. After all, I think we all understand first drafts and writing struggles and doubts. But the great thing about beta readers is seeing with a pair of new eyes to see everything we may have missed. Seeing the good that we may miss. So don’t feel too shy about sharing, the best way to improve is practice and feedback:)
You already are a great writer and have gotten much further than millions of other would-be writers who haven’t even picked up their pens.
One of the best things we can do as writers, is to remember that we are writing for God, that our writing does have purpose, and that we improve every time we write even if it doesn’t seem like it.
And I’d personally be honored to beta read if you do decide to share:)
I love Caira, Newton, and Deek like friends already:)OH MY WORD, you don’t know how much this post helped me! Seriously, that post was just, like, a huge bundle of encouragement. I appreciate it so much! And I agree with 100% of what you said, and it even helped me to change my perspective on my writing and to not be so perfectionistic (and to think about how God feels about it, too)! And I had no idea Tolkien revised LotR, either. I guess even the most famous writers still doubt their writing. I really appreciate this post, seriously 🙂 I’m probably going to re-read it 10 times (as well as this entire thread) because all of you guys have really encouraged me today <3333 Thank you so, so much 🙂
I really can’t say how much I appreciate the people of Kingdom Pen. All of you guys are such great/supportive friends 🙂
@writerlexi216 You’re definitely not alone. I think it’d be safe to say every single writer/author struggles with this from time to time. I know it’s hard sharing your writing; I have a hard time with it too. But sometimes you just have to let go of expectations you may have for yourself and know that even if you’re not that great now, but you’re better than you were and you’re going to get better still. I’ve talked a lot about this on my blog, and I think there might be a couple posts you’d like. Like this one. And this one. 🙂 I hope that helps! <3
I'm a Kapeefer 'TIL WE'RE OLD AND GREY!
www.jennaterese.com@writerlexi1216 Wait my links didn’t work XD Here’s a post…
I'm a Kapeefer 'TIL WE'RE OLD AND GREY!
www.jennaterese.comI'm a Kapeefer 'TIL WE'RE OLD AND GREY!
www.jennaterese.comAww, thank you so much! That really helps me 🙂 And it also helps to know that I’m not alone in this. I sincerely appreciate your encouragement! <3333
Abigail, those words literally spoke to my heart (I don’t care if that sounds weird, but it’s the absolute truth). That was such an encouragement to me!! I guess I just got so wrapped up in thinking that I was the only writer who ever struggled this badly, so I started doubting myself/my writing. But to hear that other people (and famous authors) have been through that and still continue to write, that’s a huge motivator, and it helps me to not feel so ashamed/critical/judgmental about what I write. This post brought a huge smile to my face, so I sincerely appreciate it! 🙂 And if I ever decide to have some beta readers, I’d love for you to read it!
Thank you so much, Jen! That was a huge encouragement to me! Especially when you pointed out how I’m a better writer than I was yesterday… that helps me to really change my perspective on things. I tend to look at the future and how far I need to go to be a “good writer”, and instead I don’t look back at how far I’ve come. And I’ll totally check out your blog! Thank you for sending the link. And thank you for sending the very encouraging post!! 🙂
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