For me, this fear series started off because of one critical person who seemed to highlight my fears. They thought that because I self-published a book people actually, god forbid, paid money to read, that I should be as good as the greats in my field… like Tolkein… or Martin.
Right?
HELL NO!
“I’ll never be as good as those writers so I should just give up.”
Never. Ever. EVER. Compare yourself to others. Only compare yourself, to yourself.
For Example. You’ve been writing for five years. You’re better than what you were when you started, you’re better than what you were last year. Just think what you’ll be like in one, five, ten years from now. You can only be a better version of yourself if you keep working.
There’s no point in comparing yourself to others because you might not know what they’ve had to do to get to where they are. They may have years and years of practise and experience ahead of you. The fact is they got there in the end, but everybody has a different journey.
You’re not going to be like Rowling, Tolkien, Martin, or any other. You are only ever going to be like you! Keep writing, keep reading, keep learning and growing, and you’re only going to get better.
Be inspired by them, learn from them, love them, but don’t compare yourself to them. Promise?
~*~
Thanks for reading! I hope you found this post useful.
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exiledprospero said:
You have a great attitude, Ruth.
Ruth Ellen Parlour said:
Thank you very much! 🙂
Luke Roland said:
Hi Ruth, I really enjoyed reading your post. Comparing myself to others has been something I’ve dealt with. I realized most of the time I was comparing myself to others it was when they were at their best, but I didn’t see what it took for them to get there. Thanks for sharing!
Ruth Ellen Parlour said:
Hi Luke! Thanks for commenting. I think it’s useful to remember that we are not like others, and it always seems to be the successful ones – the ones doing better than us – that we compare ourselves to! Glad it helped 🙂
The Story Mom said:
Hey Ruth, thanks so much for the encouraging words! I have been working on a story for young readers the last two years and sometimes it is very hard not to get discouraged… I just started posting the first segments on my blog and I would love some feedback if you have any time to spare! Thanks again for the encouragement!
Ruth Ellen Parlour said:
I’m glad you found my post useful! Good luck in your writing 🙂
Ralph said:
I feel like that sometimes too especially when its really good, I recent;y read Picture of Dorian gray and Wolf Hall, they are both so good I don’t think I could ever write anything half as good as either, it is discouraging. But I write because I enjoy it so I still do it. I can only get better. Same for you Ruth. Read the best and try to be the best you can.
Ruth Ellen Parlour said:
That’s exactly the right attitude to have! It’s just hard to remember it sometimes 🙂