I have heard it said that apathy is arts enemy and curiosity is its friend. Don't be apathetic about who is better than you but drive yourself forward with curiosity about what you can do, where your limits are. Also remember two things, many "greats" were not recognized as such until long after their death, I'm thinking of Jane Austen as I write this but I am sure the list goes on and on. Finally, the great thing about art is that no two artists are exactly alike. We all have different perspectives, methods, styles exc. You may not be Dickens, but who knows if someone may not enjoy reading something you wrote just as much as he enjoyed A Tale of Two Cities. Alright pep talk over queue the cheesy inspirational music to stop.
Yeah, I know. I was hoping for someone to point that out so the statement was a bit of a baiting tactic. It's like saying what's the point in doing anything.
it doesn't matter whether you write a good sentence or a bad sentence. The important thing is, is the story good enough?Always look for the theme of the story
My answer: IF YOU FIND SOMEONE WHO'S BETTER AT WRITING, LEARN FROM THEM. I encountered someone better than me the moment I read Rowan of Rin by Emily Rhodda (Down with Deltora Quest! ROWAN FTW!). I was down heartened for about seven seconds, then noted her choice of words for describing things, and realised that a thesaurus and dictionary were my best friends. Then, when I encountered Tolkien, I was down heartened to the point of emo-ism for about seven months, then I strove to improve my style. So do that, mate. And whenever you get worried that your writing isn't good enough, do two things: Make a conscious decision to stop telling yourself that. In fact, say it to yourself out loud (the louder, the better!). Go outside, even, onto the streets, and yell at the top of your voice, "I'm not going to be so self-demeaning!" Of course, be self-critical, but NOT self-demeaning, which is what you're doing. Remember what J. K. Rowling said in an interview once: "I write what I like, the way I like."
That's the spirit! I do audio recording for a living, and the secret, underlying truth of it is, you're always aiming your latest mix directly at the competition-- your song is a gauntlet thrown down, daring anyone to match its intensity and powerfulness. Yeah, sure, your customer the singer needs to be impressed as well, but those guys are just pawns in the whole wicked game....
