I have to be honest here. I have never self doubt about my writing. I guess this confidence comes from writing on-line and not really considering myself a writer. Like- here are my ramblings, fresh from the oven, get it while it's hot. I guess if my livelihood depended on my words then I would have much more self-doubt.
I have a question for you, since reading your posts I have been paying much more attention to the way I write. And my creative process is not so much physically writing but a lot of conceiving the ideas and re-writing the thoughts in my head. Then I finally put them on paper and it is a rather straight forward business (although I will go back and edit a lot, but it is mostly form and grammar) . Have you had students with this way of working? does it feel like a slap in the face to the real writers out there? like, I do a lot of thinking folding laundry and making beds and knitting.
First off, anyone who writes like you is certainly a "real writer," and you most likely get deservedly-stellar commentary which validates that! I appreciate hearing of your "process," which sounds organic and efficient, complete with an admirable multitasking element (who wouldn't want to write a nice piece and get laundry done at the same time?). Writing doesn't have to be a struggle, and you have clearly figured that out.
It's possible that online writers are more confident due to the very nature of online publication. Here, we're all posting to our own Substack platforms, where the barometer for success or failure mainly lies in the number of followers and subscribers who come aboard. On the other hand, consider those trying for traditional publication or attempting to get an agent. They face a lonely system of repeated rejection guaranteed to knock their confidence down a few pegs. Check the #amquerying hashtag on X, for instance, if you want to see self-doubt!
First, anyone can write, and anyone does. This doesn't make you a writer, anymore than playing around with a guitar makes you a musician. Second, there's no editor in Substack, so an undisciplined or unaware writer remains so. Third, standards define your work. You are your standards. Fourth, regardless of talent, those aspiring to publish books will run into a brick wall. Agents don't read queries. I wouldn't either.
Thank you for the compliment, Craig. I will not check X since I am on a “sabbatical” from social media on my phone and from X in general, but I can totally see how getting multiple rejections can undermine your confidence. I get plenty of rejections from grant applications, which makes me truly question my abilities as a researcher.
I got the opposite guilt. I write too much : )
That's a guilt worth suffering, Richard!
I have to be honest here. I have never self doubt about my writing. I guess this confidence comes from writing on-line and not really considering myself a writer. Like- here are my ramblings, fresh from the oven, get it while it's hot. I guess if my livelihood depended on my words then I would have much more self-doubt.
I have a question for you, since reading your posts I have been paying much more attention to the way I write. And my creative process is not so much physically writing but a lot of conceiving the ideas and re-writing the thoughts in my head. Then I finally put them on paper and it is a rather straight forward business (although I will go back and edit a lot, but it is mostly form and grammar) . Have you had students with this way of working? does it feel like a slap in the face to the real writers out there? like, I do a lot of thinking folding laundry and making beds and knitting.
First off, anyone who writes like you is certainly a "real writer," and you most likely get deservedly-stellar commentary which validates that! I appreciate hearing of your "process," which sounds organic and efficient, complete with an admirable multitasking element (who wouldn't want to write a nice piece and get laundry done at the same time?). Writing doesn't have to be a struggle, and you have clearly figured that out.
It's possible that online writers are more confident due to the very nature of online publication. Here, we're all posting to our own Substack platforms, where the barometer for success or failure mainly lies in the number of followers and subscribers who come aboard. On the other hand, consider those trying for traditional publication or attempting to get an agent. They face a lonely system of repeated rejection guaranteed to knock their confidence down a few pegs. Check the #amquerying hashtag on X, for instance, if you want to see self-doubt!
First, anyone can write, and anyone does. This doesn't make you a writer, anymore than playing around with a guitar makes you a musician. Second, there's no editor in Substack, so an undisciplined or unaware writer remains so. Third, standards define your work. You are your standards. Fourth, regardless of talent, those aspiring to publish books will run into a brick wall. Agents don't read queries. I wouldn't either.
Thank you for the compliment, Craig. I will not check X since I am on a “sabbatical” from social media on my phone and from X in general, but I can totally see how getting multiple rejections can undermine your confidence. I get plenty of rejections from grant applications, which makes me truly question my abilities as a researcher.