Contributed by: xXTheDragonRiderXx
Hey, you! Yes, you, the insane, imperfect, wonderful person who is reading this thing I wrote while procrastinating on my ancient history. I'm talking to you! Do you have your listening ears on now? If you don't then you better put them on because all writers-it doesn't matter if you are old, young, new, experienced-need to hear this.
Got them on now? Good.
I'm going to keep this short and brief, because we all have things we ought to be doing that probably doesn't include reading writing advice. (Unless you've finished everything you were supposed to do today, and you have extra free time on your hands. I envy you. I'm lucky to get half the things done on my To Do list most days.) Most of Kisha's advice deal with the mechanics of writing, but I'm going to be a bit of a rebel and tell you about having confidence in your writing.I cannot tell you how many times I've compared myself to other authors; I cannot tell you how many times I look at my works and think they are crap, because they're not as good as J.K. Rowling or *wattpad author here* because I'm comparing them to them. I cannot tell you how many times I've felt bad about my own writing, and then decide to not post it or let anyone see it because it is an epic pile of goo that the world should not be allowed to see. Let me tell you right now, STOP. For Pete's sake, stop it. Do not compare yourself to authors who are more experienced than you are. Do not compare your writing style to someone else's. It doesn't matter.
It. Does. Not. Matter.
Repeat after me: "It does not matter."
Say it again: "It does not matter."
Your writing is your own. It is not somebody else's. It does not have to be perfect. It does not have to be good; in fact, it can be awful and you should still be proud of it. Because you, YOU, wrote that awful manuscript that most people don't dare to do because they are too scared to try. (And to those who want to write a story but think their writing is bad-do it. Everyone has to start somewhere.) Go back to your old writing. Look at them. Cringe and laugh and cry and scream and fight off the headache. Compare it to what you're writing now. Look at how far you've come. You did that yourself, nobody else did it for you. You did that through hours of blood, sweat and tears and a gazillion words. Isn't that amazing? I think it is. Everyone has to start somewhere; many people give up in despair because they are not "good enough." So, why would you be a quitter?
Go forth and have no fear, you crazy, imperfect, wonderful person. Show the world what you can do with that wild imagination and those crappy words, and keep on showing the world what you can do with that wild imagination and those crappy words. Do it over, and over, and over again, and never stop doing it.
-xXTheDragonRiderXx
(end note)
(Actually, it's okay to have fear, you crazy, imperfect, wonderful person. You're only human after all-well, unless you're an alien or a robot. Then I don't know what to say to you. Just don't let the fear stop you from sharing your story.)
