Let’s get something straight from the get-go. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginning writer or a published-many-books author, you are going to struggle from time-to-time with your writing. All writers do. Maybe they have trouble getting started, or knowing how to take that great idea to a fully developed story. Many authors struggle with figuring out how to end their story, while some get stuck in the middle. All writers occasionally get that “I’m-no-good-at-this” feeling. And all writers wonder, “Is this story any good?” The truth is that writing takes grit. Many times, the only difference between the writer who gets stories or articles published and the writer who doesn’t isn’t talent, but the ability to persevere and work through the doubt and the struggle in order to get to a completed piece.
Consider this: Dr. Seuss received 27 rejections before his first book was published. HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE by J.K. Rowling was turned down 12 times before it became a mega-bestseller. Charles Schultz, the cartoonist behind the PEANUTS comic strip, had almost every one of his cartoon creations turned away by his high school yearbook staff. My own book, FIRST DAY JITTERS, required many revisions and was still rejected 16 times before Charlesbridge Publishing saw it’s potential!
So, when you are feeling bad about your writing, don’t give up. Power through. Know that you are getting better each time you sit down to write! And also know that no matter how good you are now, there is always room to grow! And actually, that is the good news about being a writer.
