If you’ve read some of the advice on this blog, you’ve probably read the one that says to start studying the texts of your favorite authors.
And while you should definitely study how they create so much emotion with words, how they write motivating scenes, or how they convey the chemistry between characters on paper, it would be a terrible idea to compare yourself to them.
Remember that you are just starting out, while they are probably your favorites because they have established themselves as writers. They have experience. If you start comparing yourself to them, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment (or a lot of stress trying to reach the same level right from the start).
In my case, my idol is a 48-year-old woman who wrote the most famous saga of all time: J.K. Rowling. And while it’s acceptable to aspire to be like her, it’s also acceptable if it doesn’t happen (which, obviously, it hasn’t for me). Rowling has much more life experience to draw from, more maturity to be disciplined in her writing, and also many more years of practice. Not to mention, the woman is a writing goddess and must have made some kind of deal with the devil to have that mountain of inspiration
But we can’t let ourselves down just because we’re not like our favorite writers. The truth is that most of what we achieve is 1% talent and 99% hard work. Our idols were once like us, and whether they started at the age of 9 or 20, it doesn’t matter, when they started they didn’t stop until they got somewhere.
“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” I have that written on a sticker on my bedroom wall.
Our idols are sources of inspiration and encouragement to become better, not to make us depressed. And the best way to assess our progress is by reading the stories we wrote when we started with the stories we write now.
My first story was about seven princesses who lived on an island, defeated witches, and lived happily ever after with seven knights, but I was nine. I think I’ve progressed a bit since then.
PATRICIA MORAIS
I write bilingual (PT and EN) supernatural fantasy books inspired by mythology and folklore from around the world. But my actual mission is to help other writers write, publish and market their books.
