10 Writing Truths to Stop Your Self-Sabotage
#2. Your family’s biased views are not an accurate assessment of your writing talent.
Remember back when you first decided to become a writer? The words probably flowed easier back then, am I right? That was before you started receiving unsolicited opinions about your writing, before your family had ever read a word you’d written, and before you realized just how hard writing really was.
Writing IS hard. But what makes it harder is when we allow external forces affect the stories we have to tell. In response, many of us self-sabotage our writing career without even knowing it.
Your self-sabotage might look like this:
- Writing what you think other people want to read instead of what you have to say
- Basing your writing value on how many views or dollars it’s earned
- Judging your writing against the writing of other authors
- Not writing at all
If you find yourself struggling as a writer, and maybe even self-sabotaging, here are ten things you should know:
- Never compare yourself to other writers.
2. Your family will view your writing with the same lens in which they view you. Their biased views — either for or against — are not an accurate assessment of your writing talent or works.
3. Base your success on how your writing has made you feel as you create it, and how much you’ve grown with each piece you write.
4. Remain a student in writing for the rest of your life. Pay attention to the techniques of writers you love, take classes and workshops, and push yourself to expand your worldview so that your writing view will also expand.
5. Know that your worth as a writer and the worth of your writing cannot be measured in dollars, but your value as a writer and your writing’s value will appreciate over time.
6. There is always room in this world for more beautiful writing, including your own. When you see someone else’s beautiful writing, resist the urge to feel discouraged about your writing. Instead, celebrate that beautiful writing exists from many different voices, and believe that the world is incomplete without yours.
7. Strive to create something new instead of recreating what already exists. Your voice and experiences are important, and readers will benefit from your authentic stories.
8. Never expect your family to understand your writing and creativity, but do your best to educate them…patiently. If they still don’t understand, that’s their issue and not yours.
9. Whenever a reader or friend offers advice about how you should tell a story or what you should be writing, smile and nod. Then continue to write authentically.
10. Finally, heed these words from Margaret Atwood: “If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word.”
Want to join a journey of self-kindness, confidence, and accountability for writers? Find me on Instagram at The Writers Therapist.
To find my books and personal stories, visit crissilangwell.com.