Once you start getting better, it will get better. Also, sometimes it helps if you see things that are far worse than yours. My Warhammer 40,000 sector is original and controversial, but the Stardust Empire was the worst fanfiction most people have ever seen. Even from a writing standpoint and ignoring the rest of the 40k canon, it's a horrible mass of Mary Sues and OMG look how awesome my empire is! You still shouldn't get hung up on the fact that you're better than something that's terrible. The guy who wrote it is a friend of mine, so I gave him his own website to write about it on our server because I wanted to allow him to write what he wanted, even though it didn't fit with out fanfiction website[/tangent]
Ever hear "there is no such thing as a bad Part, only bad actors"? or maybe is was small part/small actor? in any case, ANY story can be told well. some plots are better than others to some people.. also, keep in mind the genre of your title. if someone does not like it, you may just be asking the wrong person. Don't put all your hopes and dreams into a persons opinion if that person prefers romance and your book echos Issac Asimov. I personally read Horror and hi-tech mystery. Meaning that James Patterson is not my cup of tea, but a good writer nonetheless. The book of psalms is quite eloquent, but do not ask an atheist or nihilist about it. I am sure there are writers who could make an amazing story about a trip to Costco. Basically, break down your plot to one topic. The book I am working on, for example, could be broken down into a simple topic. a town finds out that its inhabitants are disappearing and being judged by ?????? knowing that, I know what the story needs to accomplish. The vehicle I choose to get there is totally up me. As long as I accomplish the goal I sat out to achieve, I can do it however I choose; such as long as I play by the rules. Those rules are established as I go. Keep in mind these rules have a default. if you are to change them, let the audience know that the rules are different. For example, if the whole story has been set in a universe that echoes ours. neither the protagonist or antagonist may not suddenly have control over a Death-star like weapon. Example; "Jessie and Roy struggled for the knife. Roy held his left knee on Jessie's right hand. Jessie Tried to wriggle his center of gravity in a last ditch effort to off-set Roy's. Jessie had no energy left and knew He would loose if he did not do something quick. He inhaled deeply and yelled as loudly as he could. Then, a team of Velosa-raptors stormed in wielding lightsabers and covered in chainsaws they quickly aimed for roys head and shot lightning bolt after lightning bolt at Roy's face until he exploded." unless you explained a LOT of this in the narrative. you will have left your audience with a "hu"? so, just be sure that you work within your own rules. It will lead to a far better story no matter who reads it.
This ^ I wrote my whole duology out in a month. A year and a half later I'm 3/4 done with book one. The story basics are the same but many of the scenes have changed and the story structure was revised. I change one scene and that requires I change another. I've got the opening chapter down to one of three options, but when I tried to write it first, I couldn't get it right. So I went past it instead. I've written backstory chapters I may or may not use. (That's hard because when you love a scene you hate to think about tossing it.) Overall, I'm really happy with the way the story is developing. It will only distantly resemble that first draft. You have a theme, an idea, that's what I have. Build the story around it, don't worry if you have the beginning or end down, I think those are the hardest chapters to write. If you come to a place things don't work, just go past it. When the story is more developed, an answer for those rough spots will be more apparent.
I don't think anyone is ever 100% confident in their writing - or at least, very very few people are. But as others have said, as your writing improves, so will your confidence. It's scary at first, but it might help to start posting some work, either for contests or critique. It'll help to see where you're at as far as skill goes, and find out what's working at what isn't. Throw yourself out there! Honestly, it's totally okay to think you're not the best writer around, even if you've been at it for years. I've noticed that the folks who think they're the best at something tend to stagnate and never make any attempt to improve.
This is definitely accurate. Plus when you're confident, it's usually when what you write is terrible.
Thanks for your replies guys. I guess I'm going to have to suck it up and post some of my work. I suppose the feeling of insecurity could be turned into something positive and used as a basis for improvement.
I think lack of confidence is something that comes and goes. Even when you've been writing for a long time, you wake up one morning, look at your WIP and it's turned into garbage over night. I take this as a sign it's time to put it aside and work on another story for a week or more. Fresh eyes can make a huge difference. Also, don't expect to reach perfection. The only time I couldn't find anything else to tweak, my beta reader showed me exactly how wrong I was lol. Good luck.
This sort of thing happens to me. I can read over a scene I wrote and think it's the best thing ever written, then the next day I read the same scene and think it's embarrassing garbage. The words didn't change, but something about my mood did. It's very hard to judge one's own work. This is why people recommend that you let a piece of writing sit for a while (several weeks, usually) before revising it. You need the distance. My guess is that you aren't as bad as you think you are. Give yourself a chance!
Being a good artist is learning to balance a massive ego and tremendous self loathing. You have to keep working at it. If you want it to go some place don't give up and keep trying and writing. I used to feel the same way as you do. I'm still self conscious of my work sometimes but I have confidence in it now. I've learned a lot and I'm starting to feel more capable and it feels great. So hang in there.
Thanks to all for your nice comments. It is a struggle when you feel as though everything you have written is terrible. I mean of course I am probably my own worst critic and I probably see things in a warped way but nevertheless it's difficult. I'll keep working at it and put my work out there for review (it's the only way to know for sure whether I actually do suck!)
The feeling does get better, and though it gets better as your writing gets better, this is the basis for it all: You need positive comments. Just hearing an editor say "Wow" or even a peer saying kudos makes even the most horrible works feel good. One needs to realize that the feeling basically never goes away; after all, writing is a way to get our feelings onto the paper that we write. We do come up with a certain hidden truth that way, but discovering something is not necessarily good. A famous author once said "each work has killed me a little bit more", and though a tragic statement, we need to cope with the feeling best we can. All I can say is not to give up. Understand that your writing WILL get better, and you WILL feel better. It's happened to me and it's happened to everyone else to feel insecure; it happens to the best of them to wake up one morning and say "I'm a terrible writer" - it's natural to say. But follow what I told you. Meet up with people and share your work. Receive some nice / kind words. They will help you, I promise.
Do you live somewhere that is large enough to have a writing group you could go to? After years and years of writing and firmly believing that I was terrible at it, I eventually joined a local writing group. They are the sweetest group. Really supportive and friendly. Everybody in the group feels insecure about their own writing but we turn up and we support each other. It really does help to part of something like that if it's possible. If not, hopefully this on-line community can help in the same way. T
I know exactly how you feel. I will write down 2,000 words, then go through a quick edit and think, thats pretty good. Then the next day I'll read it and be depressed for two more days thinking its horrible.... then I'll come back a week later, read it again and think its great again... Up and down emotional roller coaster ride. I just remember that first and foremost I'm doing this for me, whether it's great or not, I still want to write....so I write.
A professional writer spoke at my school about a month ago and said that he has never heard a professional writer speak of writer's block. When your life depends on writing, you find the courage, the inspiration, the sheer determination, whatever, to write.
Unblock the Block! First and foremost, I think you need to keep writing. The initial ideas may be ugh! but ideas change. And it's much easier to develop an existing idea than to come up with one from scratch. You don't do calculations before you learn to count and you don't form words before you learn the alphabet. Write every single idea down (even if it's ugh), go take a break, and then come back to your ideas and see how you can refine them. Hope that helped! Cheers! Kelvin
He is totally right about that. A professional writer will never have writers block. What about a writer who is learning the craft though? One who is not yet a professional writer? Those are the one's who fall into the myth of writers block. In fact, I believe writers block does not even really exist at all. What's happening is, the writer is still learning at how to perfect and master his or her art, they are still learning their writing style, and building and sharpening their writers tools. They believe that they have this myth called writers block. In reality it is not a block at all it is simply that the writer has not mastered his or her craft
Do you know stuff like "story starters"? Some of them create imagination in your mind that will draw inspiration to help you cope with writer's block. Music, vintage photographs, old memories, stories from your ancestors and more. They’re actually the stuff that keeps my creative imagination burn while I write a short story or something documentary.
There is the advice that says, "turn off the editor inside, and write your story." Doing so will help writers who suffer from writer's block and who are frozen in the first sentence, tweaking it, changing a word and not going beyond the first sentence. This advice had helped me slog through a phase where I couldn't go beyond the first sentence or first paragraph. I reserved my editorial critique for the second draft. Sure, shut that editor out for the first draft, but I'm curious if you invite someone else in your writer's mind. Do you get into character and write through the chosen POV character's eyes? I haven't done this process yet. What I do now is write as the author and only as the author. I'm curious if any of you fellow writers get into character while you write. Character would not be limited to first-person; character can also be third-person.
I'll be honest and say I've only ever written as the author, seeing what's ahead and what will happen; seeing the inside of other characters' heads. But what you propose is certainly interesting, and I will have to try it for my next novel. Granted I don't have an answer for you, but thanks for giving me that advice!
I definitely get into character, since I'm writing in first person. I have to pretend I'm a grumpy, slightly spiteful teenage guy who has completely different ideals from me lol It's hard because I haven't experience some things he has but at the same time, it's fun and a nice challenge.
It's not a conscious decision on my part, but yes. I am in the mind of the character, no matter what the POV. I see the setting as they see it, and react to events of the plot as they would if it were happening to them. It's a weird feeling and difficult to snap out of, but I think it helps me write believable dialog and sensorial, evocative imagery. There should be a term for this... method writing, maybe?
Well right now I have what they call a writers block... but I know the reason. It's partly stress, partly frustration about things that make writing horrible right now. I have inspiration but I just cannot manage to write it down. It's been three days since I have written something (which is long for me) but the most annoying thing is that I have these papers I need to write... and well that is not working out. It's very annoying and I know it's something in my head that causes this and that I shoudl get everything together but well easier said than done
