Have you ever questioned your ability to write?

When you look at it like that…

When I first started writing, I was afraid to let anyone read what I wrote. I was sure that I wasn’t a good enough writer. Then, one magical day, I was reading something that Stephen King wrote that I had read on his Wikipedia page: “If you wrote something for which someone sent you a check, if you cashed the check and it didn’t bounce, and if you then paid the light bill with the money, I consider you talented.”

Those words are so powerful! “Wow,” I thought, “suddenly, I’ve been elevated to believe in myself and my writing.” I’d never considered that being paid as a writer might make me good enough. Yet, I’ve been writing online since at least 2000 and earning money for my writing.

I’ve always been fascinated with reading, so I read ravenously whenever I get the opportunity. From short stories to long novels, I love to read and have a variety of genres that I love reading. I believe that reading helps me to fine-tune my own writing.

While I’m still slightly embarrassed to show people what I’ve written, I’ve learned that not everyone will enjoy what I write, and that’s okay. I don’t always enjoy a book that I’ve picked up. I do, however, appreciate that the book's author took the time to step out of their comfort zone and write something and publish it.

There are always going to be those who laugh at what I’ve written.

There are always going to be those who are critical of what I’ve written.

There will always be someone who disagrees with my perspective.

There will always be someone who says they can write it better than I did.

All of these things are okay. Why? Because we are all different people. We are all different authors. We all look at things with our own perspective, which gives us each our own unique voice. So what if someone else thinks or can do it better?

Have you ever questioned your own work? Have you ever doubted that your work is any good? Have you ever been paid for what you’ve written? Then you’re good. That’s enough. Remember, you are your own worst critic.

Run a spell check, run a grammar check, and re-read your own work.

It doesn’t matter what others think. It doesn’t matter what your friends or family think. As a writer, we’ve all been in a position where the words have to come out of our brains and onto paper or the computer. If we don’t put them out of our brains, we’re going to remain in that proverbial loop that won’t let us off of the merry-go-round.

If you wrote it, it’s good. Enough said.

Did you get paid to write it? Even just a few cents? If so, then good, you’re a writer, and you’re good enough.

Please share with me in the comments what you think; I’d love to hear it!

© Kelly Corinne Elliott 2023. All Rights Reserved.