This is going to be hard for some people to hear, but it is a lesson that even the most seasoned writers need to remember. I certainly need to remember it, on those occasions where I am feeling disheartened.
No one just starting out writes a masterpiece. Everyone thinks their first work is a masterpiece.
I did. It’s normal. But those starting out are the literary equivalent of a person picking up a guitar the very first time and then wondering why someone is telling them that their playing needs work and is not yet symphony quality.
It takes practice. A lot of practice. My first stories? I thought they were amazing. I read them now and cringe. You may be talented, you may even be skilled, but there is ALWAYS room for improvement.
It’s hard, I know. Offering up our writing is like offering up a piece of our soul, so much that any criticism of it feels like criticism of us as people. A lot of writers never get past this and quit after a story or two because people who read it never react like it’s prize winning gold – parents and family members aside – because it never is. Even Stephen King had hundreds of rejection letters before first publishing Carrie.
This is a hurdle you need to get past if you want to be a writer. No artist, writer, painter, musician, is ever gold out of the gate. Everyone has room to grow and improve. Everyone. Think of the most famous and acclaimed writer out there. That person got there by working very very hard and developing their skills and even they will admit they can always be better.
Learning destructive criticism from constructive is a big key. So is having a more realistic view of yourself and recognizing you are still learning and understanding that there being room to improve your skills does not actually reflect on your worth as a person. Trust me, every writer out there absolutely gets what you mean.
Some of my work has been praised to an almost embarrassing amount by some. And that’s great. That exact same work has been torn to shreds by others and you know what? That’s fine too. They don’t like the story, that’s fine. It’s not for them. If there’s actual constructive criticism in their comments that can be used to make me a better writer, I will use that and discard the rest of what they said. If there aren’t, I just throw the whole thing away (their comment, not the story) – it’s not for them, and some people just delight in being trolls.
You need to ask yourself some essential questions and keep some deep truths in mind:
Am I doing this to get praised for it, or because I love it and enjoy doing it, and want to get better at it?
Critique of your writing and even outright loathing hatred of it is not a reflection of you as a person – don’t take it as such. Take the good bits and use them to improve your skills, and discard the crap. It’s a reflection of them, not of you.
You are not going to please all of the people all of the time. It’s impossible. Even the most beloved authors on the planet have more people that hate or are even totally indifferent about their stuff than love it.
Be kind to yourself, forgive yourself for not being perfect. Realize now that you will never be perfect, and that’s ok. The rest of humanity will never be perfect either. You will likely never actually write a masterpiece. Neither will I. You may, but far, far more people don’t than do. And that’s also perfectly ok. It doesn’t need to be a masterpiece to be great, or to be worth it.
There is always room to grow.
If you have finished a story, even the first draft, that’s amazing right there. Believe it or not, that alone puts you above the vast majority of people out there who decide ‘hey, I think I’m going to write a book!’
Most never get that far. Be proud of yourself.
Melara Dark 