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I just gave an after class pop-up advice session to some of my creative writing students; allow me to share.
Stop asking whether you're good enough to be a writer. The question isn't whether or not you're good enough, the question is whether or not you're willing to put in the work.
Similarly, stop asking whether or not your piece is good. No one can agree on what is good or not, not even when it comes to great literature. The more important question is: is it finished, or does it need more work?
Every editor who sees your piece for the first time will see it as a first draft, no matter how many revisions it's already been through.
You don't have to plan your career right now. You just have to finish the thing you're working on.
If your brain (slash inner writer slash subconscious mind slash whatever) wants to write one thing & your ego wants to write another, do the brain one first, & tell your ego you'll get to its thing later. As long as you're avoiding your brain project, you're fighting yourself.
You don't have to write a book a year. You don't have to write a book a decade. You don't have to write a book ever. You don't have to build a platform. You don't have to follow the market. You don't have to give up your side hobbies. You can shape your life however you want to.
You're allowed to switch genres. You're allowed to write multiple things at once. You're allowed to write one book & dedicate the rest of your life to organic gardening. You're allowed to quit writing if it doesn't make you happy anymore. I am giving you permission.
If butt in chair isn't working for you, stop torturing yourself. Take yourself on a picnic or something. Look at some ducks. Be in the world for a while. The hard part of writing isn't typing, it's imagining. Give yourself a break & let your imagination wander a bit.
Almost every question my students asked me boiled down to "Am I doing it right?" And my answer is always basically the same: Who knows! Are you happy? Do you feel like it's working for you? If it is, keep going! If not, do a different thing. There's no right way.
So much of being a writer is learning to work with your own brain (mind/heart/subconscious/intuition/et al). What works for other people's brains may not work for yours. That's cool. Do what works for you. Sometimes what works for you will change. Roll with it.
Listen to yourself. Be gentle with yourself. Sometimes being a writer feels like you're in couples counseling with your own brain. Most of us fight ourselves. Most of us fight writing. Most of us think the last good thing we wrote was a fluke. You're not alone. Keep going. ❤️
