Will your writing ever be "good?"

Hey!

Short answer: No.
Long answer: A slight yes.

I have been writing fiction now rather consistently for around six years. Don't worry, I know that isn't actually a long time for most writers. When you look at the ages of published authors, very few are still in their twenties - mostly being middle-aged or above (the average being around 37 years old.)

The majority of this is down to experience - when you are told to write about "what you know" it is easier for those who have done a lot more and encountered a vast more than a twenty-something-year-old.

I also believe that this is down to actual practice. It isn't commonly mentioned, but just like any skill, writing requires constant practice to improve - whether this be daily, weekly, etc.

This is also related to how you see your work.

📈Consistency + Time = Improvement

One thing I talk about a lot is the art of consistency. I truly believe that if you put the hours in, you can improve at something massively. This is the same with how you see your work.

You write a piece, thinking it is actually quite good. It's good to think this way, but when you come back to it for your second draft, you realise it's not as good as you previously thought. That's why I like to call my first draft my 'sick draft' (or 'vomit draft') as I am mostly getting my ideas down as quickly as possible.

On that second draft, you improve what you have written - tidying the prose, making it sound coherent, and taking out all those spelling mistakes that have slipped through).

But we always seem to think our work is never good enough. Don't worry, that is natural. As I said before, you are comparing yourselves to writers who are older and have probably practised their skill a lot more than you have.

If you want to improve, don't compare your work to published authors. It is alright to read books to see how they handle their pose, dialogue, and other parts - but don't compare it to your work as it'll just serve to demotivate you.

Instead, compare your work to one person - your past self.

👍Why awful writing is good for you

Looking back at old work makes you cringe, doesn't it? Same for me. At first, I hated it. It just showed how naive I was when I wrote before. I would use the same words over and over again, and my vocabulary never improved. My dialogue would feel stiff and over-rehearsed.

However, this is a good thing. To have pride in the work you write now, you need to look back at past writing and realise how bad it is. That way you can notice how much improvement you have made.

That is why, I believe, that if you are starting to hate your writing now and think you'll never get better - look back at your old work. See how far you have come.

You will get better, I promise. I am still incredibly rusty, but the only thing you can do is keep writing.

That's all from me today,
Fin :)