Tigers or Giraffes

The futility of comparing ourselves with others (30-day April Challenge #16)

There’s no doubt about it; the world is filled with incredible writers. We all have our favorite novelists, poets, journalists. . . and writers right here on Medium.

But who is better, or best?

The Bitter Seeds of Self-Doubt.

Asimov, Tolkien, Feist, Gemmel. . . These are just a few of my favorite authors whose books grace my shelves. I don’t know any of them personally, and never will (because I think they’re all dead), but their words and worlds are always at my fingertips and I return to them time and time again.

There are some incredible writers here, too, and these I know, at least to some extent.

There’s J.R. Spiers with his poignantly inspirational tales of chickens, and Brian Lageose with his brilliantly hilarious forays into the absurd. What about Gus Gresham with his gritty tales of life on the seedy side, or Will Pennington with his beautifully artistic memoir-based romances?

These writers are classic examples of writers who have fully embraced their gifts of words to share with those ready to dive into the worlds and characters they create and, quite frankly, they intimidate me just a little. When I read their stories, I’m transported away from the reality of the world I’m in to spend just a few brief moments elsewhere, and that’s something any self-respecting writer aspires to do. It’s definitely something I aspire to do.

Can I compete with them? Am I up to par? Where do they come up with their beautiful ideas and clever turns of phrase? Who am I to think I can even hope to do the same?

All these questions are completely pointless.

Tigers and Giraffes

Sure, some writers have a better grasp of language than others but that isn’t all there is to it and I’m not here to discuss the literary quality of the work of any given writer. What I’m talking about is the ability to transport, to create, to elicit a specific response from the reader. And that’s talent, true talent. But everybody’s ability to do that is different and comparing any two writers is literally like comparing tigers and giraffes.

Could I pick any one of the above-mentioned writers, whether they have books on my shelf or whether I read their stories here, over and above any of the others? No. Obviously. Each one of them writes completely differently from each and every one of the others.

As do I.

Would I choose only one to read exclusively forever and for always? Again, no! The whole point is that each one of them offers something unique and beautiful in their own way.

As do I.

Could I choose between the tiger and the giraffe as the ultimate exemplar of the miracle of Nature and the grace of the Universe’s creation? No, again. There are myriad examples from which to choose and not one of them is better or more important or more unique than any other. I might prefer one over another at any given point in time, and you might choose something else entirely. Neither one of us is either right or wrong; we merely have our own personal perspective at that time.

This isn’t a debate

I’m not promoting my favorite writers over yours. This isn’t intended to fuel a debate over who writes what better. The thing I’m driving at here is that we shouldn’t debate with ourselves, either. The truth of the matter is that the only writer we can ever be is; ourselves. Only we can write like us so why browbeat ourselves over whether or not somebody else does it better?

Look, it’s okay to admire other writers. Let’s face it, there are a lot to admire! But don’t let yourself get dragged down into the comparison game. It will only ever end badly. Nobody but nobody, anywhere, can write quite like you. Okay, look, I’ll be honest here. Just because you’re writing like you doesn’t mean you’re automatically going to end up on the New York Times Bestseller list. But writing like somebody else who is, isn’t going to put you there, either. . . because they already have that spot!

By all means; learn, take advice, hone your craft, perfect your skills. Just don’t do it to be somebody else. Do it to be the best version of you and to offer the best possible example of your words out into the world.

Write like you own it

Because you do.

I struggle a LOT with self-doubt at the best of times. I question everything. I’m forever feeling that no matter what I’m doing, and writing’s just a small part of that, I’m never going to be good enough.

But good enough for who? Who is this judge and jury out there who determines the worth of my efforts? I don’t need to please the many who will never be pleased by me, because they neither know me nor care to. I don’t need to please anybody at all so if somebody, anybody, appreciates what I do; that’s a bonus. The only person I really need to please, is me. Did I do my best? Did I give my all? Only I know the answer and only I am qualified to judge.

If I’m honest with myself, I think I do pretty okay. Chances are, you do, too.

To ALL of you fabulous writers out there,

Kia kaha and aroha nui. 💞

Fighting! 👊