I Think I’m A Better Writer Than I Am And It Works For Me

I Think Everyone Should Try It

I’ve been thinking a lot about confidence lately. It’s such a strange thing, to have confidence, especially as a fiction writer. I know I’m not the best writer in the world and I know that I have an inappropriate amount of confidence in myself because I put myself out there at times when my other writer friends pull away from opportunities. They feel like they lack talent but I don’t think they should stop writing or shy away from sharing their work just because someone else out there has an easier way with words.

Having too much confidence works for me because I’ve achieved things I used to only dream about. But am I a NY Times bestselling author? No. Will I ever be? Unlikely, but not impossible. Am I still going to write like I am one? Absolutely!

Let’s break down the concept of confidence when it comes to writing. Confidence is defined in dictionary.com as:

belief in oneself and one’s powers or abilities; self-confidence; self-reliance; assurance

Belief in oneself and one’s powers or abilities

When I look in the metaphorical mirror that shows my personality and soul instead of my physical form, it would be easy to see only negative things. Trust me, there are plenty. Before I sit down to write, I choose not to see those. I look beyond the woman who left school too young, who never once got promoted in a job, who has a history of failures behind her. After all, I’m 43 years old now. Show me a 43-year-old who hasn’t failed at anything or made a bad decision and I’ll show you someone living in a bubble.

I look at myself and I see someone who is ambitious and imaginative. I see a woman who is willing to work hard, with an open mind, and learn from other people who are killing it at writing. They exist and they’re not that different from me. I’d say some of them don’t have a natural talent, but they do work hard and they ignore their insecurities. They put their work out there, knowing that the worst thing they write will always be better than the best thing they don’t write (paraphrased from a quote by screenwriter Sol Saks).

So, do I believe that I can sit down and write a novel, short story, blog, or poem? Yes, I do.

Do I believe I have the power and ability to work hard and press publish? Of course, I do.

Self-confidence

I have that, in spades, but some people — and I’m looking at my one-star reviewers here, think I have more confidence in who I am than I should have. One woman asked why I would think I could write.

Well, why would anyone? Successful writers are not superior human beings with a divine right to write. They are humans with stories to tell.

Another reviewer accused me of “pedestrian” writing, while one said that she assumed I was a teenager because my style was so immature.

Listen, there’s always going to be someone out there who thinks you aren’t good at what you do. Usually, it’s someone who’s not doing what you do or wishes they believed in themselves. Two things I have always kept in mind when I read one-star reviews are:

You can be the sweetest, juiciest peach in the world and some people will just never like peaches (credit to Emma Cruises for saying that in a vlog)

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard (I’ve heard it so many times, I don’t know who to credit)

You should have self-confidence in your writing when you are writing, dedicating your life to writing novels, short stories, poems, blogs, or plays, although not necessarily all at the same time. While people don’t have to buy what I write, I am out here being a writer, whether they like me or not.

Self-reliance

This is a strange one because it means basically that I rely on myself. I do. I don’t use ghostwriters or AI, although I would never rule that out in the future. I don’t have an editor and if I outsource a cover design, I pay for it or send a gift to the person who created the cover for me. I am self-reliant and I am self-taught.

Yes, I am currently studying for a degree in Arts & Humanities and one of my two majors is creative writing, so I’m not self-taught but I am making the effort to go back to school and get an education so that I am the best writer I could be. I think that qualifies me as self-reliant.

If you are using your talent and skills, learning from others, and working towards your writing goals, I believe that qualifies as self-reliance.

Assurance

This isn’t like your mother reading something and telling you it’s great, whether it is or not. It goes deeper than that, I think.

I’ve had one-star reviews, and I’ve had five-star reviews. I don’t take any of them too seriously, but what I do take seriously are:

• The letters and emails I’ve received from people on the other side of the world who don’t know me, telling me that my 8,000-word cat detective story cheered them up when everything else in life was going wrong.
• I take the gifts they sent me seriously — one gift from a lady in Tennessee still hangs above my son’s bed. I take their pleas for a new story in the 44-book series seriously.
• I take all the online friends I have made through writing seriously because they are men and women who are just like me. They have dreams and ambitions and they work towards them. Some take a break now and again but they will always be writers and they know how I feel about writing.
• I take the small amount of royalties I earn each month seriously because I know that someone thought my story was good enough to pay to read it. If you convince just one person to do that, you’re doing a good job.

That’s my assurance. Assurance is more than just people telling you that you’re a good writer. It’s the evidence of your hard work reaching other people and being accepted. Comments, likes, follows… they all matter. Even just seeing the portfolio of work you have built up increasing is assurance that you’re getting to where you want to be.

What kind of confidence do we need on Medium?

You’re probably a blogger rather than a fiction writer, but a lot of it will apply to you too. People are taking the time to read what you write. They are leaving thoughtful comments. If you’re not getting those, try leaving a comment on ten articles in your chosen niche for every post you publish. It will take you 30–60 minutes but it is worth it to get the interaction going. I guarantee that no matter how good or bad your story is, you’ll get a comment back at some point if you leave your ivory tower and start knocking on other people’s doors.

That’s the kind of confidence we all need on Medium; not the confidence in our writing, because progress is more important than perfection, but the confidence to get out of our way and network with others so that we can have success here. That’s the only way to get your writing noticed.