Writers Doubting Value of Their Work

“I discovered that writing for myself and me only was the only way a story should be told in my opinion; free of interpretations and free to express and unbothered by expectations. I adopted this mindset because I never liked my writing, and those in my creative writing class didn't either, so I just thought I should keep stories to myself. But then I read books and I'm utterly enchanted by the wording and story at hand, and these people wrote this living up to an expectation while also b”

“Hi, So, I'm quite new when it comes to reading. Unlike most of the people, I started writing way before I got into serious reading. I'd read some short stories as a kid and I began with writing some of my own. It was in later years when I got serious about it, I came to know that in order to write good one has to read a lot. Now, I've been reading quite well for past two- three years. I wonder though, if it is better to educate myself enough by just reading for a few more years and s”

“The idea of this writing is bad or this is good it’s just silly. This isn’t mathematical postulation, you can’t objectively prove this is bad writing when many many famous and rich authors had the same ideas and style sometimes. Hell I’d argue I’m seeing better stories from total unknown dudes when compared to the rich and famous, but, nobody but their mothers gonna care about it. This is the part when writing is so hard and unfair, when a song is good it’s automatically recognized, regardless w”

“I've never really written anything before, at least not for anybody other than myself. I don't really trust my own judgement, so is this okay enough to even continue working on? This is the intro, like first chapter. Though it starts in another area of the universe and in the past, I'd say it falls under the genre of Urban Fantasy. It is yet untitled. I'm writing this story in my version of the world detailed in the TTRPG CJ Carella's Witchcraft. Please, if this is awful or s”

“Morning all, When it comes to writing, do you write for yourself or others. What I mean, is do you have a story you want to get out that is just for your enjoyment. Or do you hold that in and just focus on writing with an audience in mind? submitted by /u/FoxfireNS [link] [comments]”

“I've been writing short stories for a while to practice and improve my writing, and in some of the stories I've written or come up with, I can't think of a reason why I'm writing them or a message I'd like to convey. I simply create a fantasy world, come up with a story, and let it unfold naturally. A while ago, a friend who had read one of my stories asked me, "Why did you write this?" or "What are you trying to convey with it?" And honestly, I didn't”

“whenever i start writing something, i get stuck because i keep thinking 'what is the point of this???' and i can never pinpoint a grand theme. then i started thinking about stories i love or that are popular in media and i realized, most of them don't have one main 'point'. issue is then without this limitation of one big reason to write something i get confused of what to put in the story and what to leave out. easy example to understand what im talking about: the love hypot”

“Let me say up front: I know this sounds silly. But I’m curious what others think of the concept. In the age of original writing being accused (rightly or wrongly) of not being original, would live streaming your writing process be an option? I don’t think out loud much but I can imagine some people would be more natural at it. If your favorite writer was spending a few hours thinking out loud and writing/revising on a live stream, would you watch? submitted by /u/kubrickie [link] &#3”

“As title says I’ve never written fiction before. I tried my hand at a short story. I feel like it’s boring, the ending needs more & I think I need to cut the introduction by a page. Is my assessment accurate? Do you guys know of any online writers groups? Edit: grammar. submitted by /u/Ok-Egg5229 [link] [comments]”

“Like they need to keep writing their story because of the time they've put into it, not because they see it going anywhere? I feel as if the 2 years I've spent on my dark fantasy book could have been used on other literature projects, but I need to keep writing it so I don't feel like it's all gone to waste. submitted by /u/WannabeWriter000 [link] [comments]”

“I'm a little worried. Will the 2 latter word (can't say it here) be able to write masterfully on the level of classic writers, discouraging authors from writing and creating or there is nothing to worry about? submitted by /u/Electrical-Order1950 [link] [comments]”

“Is it obvious that I’m a beginner writer? I have some good semi-ideas for a novel (character names, general plot, and the occasional sentences in the book, all ideas are original) - but my problem is that that’s all I have! How do successful, famous authors (like Suzanne Collins, or Shakespeare) write so much, in such detail, and what’s more, they don’t just stop at one book! They publish multiple stories, sometimes in serial!! I don’t want to give up writing; I want to finish my novel, but AAAR”

“I’ve been working on a storybook, for a good while, and I’m just about finished. I’m very much unknown, but to commission the story’s art, was $3k. I’m wondering if I should post for free, or take a chance and try to monetize it. Apart of me feels imposter syndrome, like “who do you think, you are? You got no fans!”. What if my work is too niche, or no one likes it? Then again; I put time and money into this. What should be the motivation, you think; putting the work out, and growing an audience”

“Is there any point of writing anymore? Serious question. Why spend months or even years writing, rewriting, sending your work to beta readers, paying for developmental editing, copy editing, and so on, when, at least for now, successful books keep appearing that are written entirely or partially by Art Inf? submitted by /u/CovertNarciS [link] [comments]”

“I seem to be able to spot purple prose and overwrought phrases in other people's work but I can't seem to do the same with my own. Here are two paragraphs.. Pls elaborate why they may or may not be bloated, as I'm not a native English speaker, sometimes I just skim over the syntax errors A gnarled old tree. Voice driven imagery. Since when did trees go from being those towery, straight-backed behemoths toting entire ecosystems in their branches to looking like an overgrown ginger or”

“Is my writing good enough? I really want to pursue writing or song writing I don't know if I have what it takes. Open for critisism. Pls be honest submitted by /u/CapitalWeird8077 [link] [comments]”

“I keep seeing posts about people stressing about their first novel, or their “million dollar idea,” or even their first line. JUST WRITE. If you have a genuinely strong idea, save it. Read and write until you’re somewhat confident in your ability, and most importantly PRACTICE. Then, and only then, worry about the career part of things submitted by /u/ColtonfrayHSC [link] [comments]”

“Hi evryone, I really don't know what i should do. Im 19 years old artist. I want to make webtoons in the future but my skills aren't still polished enough for that and I don'r want to ruin my story with bad art style, so I tought about writing something like novel firts, mainly because im scared I will forget small details about the story and I want to share this story with world soon. But I have a big problem. English is not my first language and kind of story i want to write isn&#3”

“Iv been writing a fantasy story for quite a while but iv found it discouraging to write at all with all the new tech that can do it for people. Iv never published anything before and that discourages me too cause I have no idea if my book would be liked at all. I want people to like my story but idk if my writing would carry value to begin with submitted by /u/crispy_nomad [link] [comments]”

“I’ve been a hobby writer for a while and have recently begun to take my writing seriously. No-one has told me otherwise, but I’ve been struggling with whether or not my writing is ‘real’ work, as whilst it requires mental thought and challenge (especially with editing), there’s not much of a physical or social demand. Don’t get me wrong, I am physically and socially active, but for some reason I just don’t feel like writing is proper work because of those factors submitted by /u/cana”

“This is the first piece I've written and felt proud of. My friends have been asking me to post it somewhere, and I've been thinking about that since I wrote it. I would love to get people's feedback and see how they interpret it. I'm a Year 12 student aiming to improve my writing. The Ghost of Bernie After finishing a training session in the gym, I would head to a park called Bernie and walk a few laps for cardio. There are many fond memories held dear to my heart in this locatio”

“On a technical level, I do understand what’s happening. The more one writes, the more one begins to understand the nuts and bolts of storytelling, what makes a story good or compelling, and the more one starts to appreciate other stories and writers and what they have achieved. And of course, the more one starts to see the shortcomings of one’s own work. On a purely objective level I do understand that no one writer can be everything at once, and that they shouldn’t have to be. Lots of writers h”

“I've always seen writing as a way to get some difficult things out of my system. The way I grew up, many things I thought of as normal were actually abuse. Polytraumatic youth. And my writing mirrors that life. When I really started writing, I got weird looks and worried comments from beta readers (family members or fellow students). Many people told me to get therapy. I got therapy and today I'm at peace with the past. But still, I need my writing to be transgressive. Not just telling t”

“So my biggest advice I’ve been given is to get rid of any thing that does progress the story or narrative. But I do wonder about prose and beauty in the world. It doesn’t matter to the plot that it’s snowing and the aurora is out (random example) but is it not beneficial to give the reader more visual information to set the scene? I have been told to take out anything that doesn’t build the story. What’s the line? When do I set a beautiful or grotesque or whatever scene if it doesn’t matter to t”

“I know the intent of the advice, just write to enjoy writing, just write to discover where the story goes, just write so you have something to edit or just write so that you stop thinking about the outline, etc. Ive hit several roadblocks in my current project. There are chapters that no longer work because of tone, pacing, continuity, or they are just missing compelling elements. Do you just write it anyway with the intent to fix later? Admittedly, I like this strategy to avoid only having the”

“As a fledgling editor, most of my work has been local and mostly novels. Being an editor means dealing with many first works and the "I'm insecure about my writing. What do you think?", and I find that beautiful, because beyond the technical aspects, it's about making the writer feel good about their work. Today I simply woke up with this curiosity on my mind; I'm genuinely interested in the first stories. So, what was your first story like? Was it published? How did you fe”

“There are times I feel like less of an artist because I'm a writer. Writing is an art form of course but I don't know, it feels like in the eyes of society compared to visual art it's just not as exhilarating. Be it prose, screenwriting, Comic book writing etc. There's a difference in reactions when someone says "I paint" compared to "I write". When I was younger I drew a lot, I was very skilled and my parents were impressed, I remember my dad saying "Nev”

“Hi all. I've never been published before but I've been writing for a couple of decades. I would write a short story, submit it 2-3 places, and lose interest. In some cases I'd write a first draft and never go back and revise. I was diagnosed with ADHD last year and got medicated. Suddenly I'm picking up old stories, revising them, submitting, tracking, etc. Basically, I got my shit together. That said, I haven't landed a story anywhere yet. I got special consideration at Miss”

“Hi everyone, I am starting to write and out my thoughts and ideas down onto paper and I want to present myself well. Are there any tips or advice you would always give someone who is starting? Everytime I go to write something meaningful my mind goes blank and it's a lot harder when I have an end goal attached to it. Is that normal? Thank you. Holly xxx submitted by /u/Hollysmind [link] [comments]”

“I have never written anything before. This is just something I wrote after I was told to put my thoughts on paper about my life. It doesn't rhyme or have flow like a normal poem, and it's definitely strange I realize. I shared it with my husband and I didn't know what to say it is? I am also wondering if anyone here will pick up on the underlying point to the whole thing? He was just identifying what events were happening in each section, and did not pick up on the real message. Now”

“I'm working on a story that's about someone meeting his double. It's about how we treat ourselves, especially those of us with bad mental health. Every scene is meant to represent a different way someone may treat themselves. It's about how he harms himself and why he does it, and about his repressed guilt. And it's about how he moves on from it hopefully to have a better future. I'd say about 15-25% of people that read it actually understand it, or at least a large part”

“Asking because I have been in this place for about eight months and I want to know if it resolves or if you just learn to work inside it. Early in my writing life the uncertainty was uncomfortable but temporary. Finished something, got feedback, had a clearer picture of where I stood. The not knowing had an end point. Now I am further along and the uncertainty has gotten stranger rather than smaller. Know enough to see the problems in my work clearly. Have enough craft awareness to know when som”

“I’ve been told I sound monotone and I’m worried that my writing is robotic. First time putting something I write out there and would appreciate brutally honest feedback. Should I just stick to journaling and keep my writing to myself? Thank you submitted by /u/A-short-ghost [link] [comments]”

“This is the first page from Little Gods. I am quite a novice writer, and just interested in how my early writing is perceived. Excuse the poor grammar and structure in places. I am just trying to get brain to paper whilst in a bit of a flow. Thanks for any thoughts you are kind enough to share! submitted by /u/vvhitee [link] [comments]”

“I recently got an idea to write a choose your own adventure type of story, which heavily uses the fact that it's in written form to its advantage, often using puns to deliver solutions. The main plot involves Jacob, a blind teenager, coming into contact with a spirit which tells him that they, and a lot of other ghost, have been unleashed from seven weak points in the ground connecting to the afterlife; you are tasked with going to those weak points and sealing them so that the ghosts dont k”

“While writing or plotting, do you ever feel that if someone reads your work, they'll point fingers at every incident and all 'why did he have to go there' or 'you just complicated the story for the sake of it' when in reality, things just happened a certain way in the book's world? Sure, there's a thousand ways any incident can branch out and alter the plot but I'm kinda scared that I'll get the tag of 'wannabe writer'. submitted by /u/embe”

submitted by /u/WoodpeckerBest523 [link] [comments]

“Like writing fantasy with elves and dwarves, or a different school of magic. And not even as a subversion of the genre, no, just writing it because you love those stories and want to create your own. submitted by /u/vagabundo202 [link] [comments]”

submitted by /u/Pollotelokote [link] [comments]

“To all the professional writers and aspirants too. I am one of you , but in a picky spot. I am here to understand whether my work is readable , that is because I want to hold onto this idea and upcoming ones and want to reach the end. I usually write for the audience of one. So first draft , first chapter, few more are there , I will share later. """Home sweet Home.-1. “What is wrong, Brian?” Gregory asked, stuffing his face with eggs, his tensed face trying to find the solution.”

“Hi there. I'm a storywriter who I see myself as a beginner. I've been writing a story for 5 years now and I'm close to starting to write the scenario. I want my story to be impactful and huge like every other author. For that I've been digging up some materials this and last year. And recently I've been seeing a topic that was talked a lot about: Sousou No Frieren, an anime so hyped and liked because of many things it has. Now I'm only looking at it storywise for example;”

“This is a basic guide on writing for beginners or those that dont already know how. One common misconception about writing is that it is centered around the story itself, the plot, setting, character/character development, themes, worldbuilding, the way in which you tell a story, or words you use to describe things. None of that is what writing is about. The only thing that matters is conveying emotions to the reader. A common rebuttal I have heard is, "entertainment is more important than”

“I'm super newbie, i like writing but haven't published anything because I hide this part of me and honestly I don't know what to do with all my work. I have ideas don't get me wrong but I don't know what platform suits me. For some reason I think no one will believe that I write. Anyways, quick question. Can you call yourself a writer if you haven't published anything? I long for the day I can call myself one. I feel like calling myself a writer now makes me pretentious.”

“From Hemingway to Francis Scott Fitzgerald: For Christ sake write and don’t worry about what the boys will say nor whether it will be a masterpiece nor what. I write one page of masterpiece to ninety one pages of shit. I try to put the shit in the wastebasket. The same author quoted in an article published in Esquire in 1985: Don’t get discouraged because there’s a lot of mechanical work to writing… I rewrote the first part of A Farewell to Arms at least fifty times… The first draft of anything”

“Questions I have Did this hook you? Did you get any questions? Did anything feel forced or placed there randomly? “Whatever happens tonight, don’t believe anything Noah tells you.” I smile sarcastically. “What’d he do now? Teleport from work and ruin your birthday party? I think you’ve had too much to eat.” I let out an awkward laugh. A weak attempt to lighten the panicked look on her face. She doesn’t laugh. My grin falters. What is she talking about? Noah? As in my older brother Noah? Is this”

“So this was new to me. My friend wrote a new story, and he sent me the first chapter to read. I'm not as adept at writing as he is, so I couldn't give much feedback on the prose (I thought it was good). But there was one thing: a character in that first chapter made me so mad with their attitude and personality that I spoke to him about how much I hated that character. My friend said that character is supposed to be hated and that they will do a 180 through some twists later. However, th”

“I have a story idea that I have been thinking about for three weeks. Is there any questions I could ask myself or test to see if it’s a good idea? submitted by /u/Fast-Strawberry-1619 [link] [comments]”

“Whether Art or Writing, im too low on confidence to think my work is acceptable, but im also trying to cope it doesn't matter because my skills are not that yet and that i have nothing to prove submitted by /u/EfficiencySerious200 [link] [comments]”

“How ya doing! My name is Rein, i'm a 20 year old writer who happened to stumble upon a deep quote while writing an event for one of my characters! First off, I want you to interpret my quote in your own way as i'm curious to see the various meanings and responses you all might have! "To end a life is forever a stain upon my soul that will tarnish my spirit for as long as I exist... To lay another to rest is to accept that I must lie down with my own demise, as that is the grand purp”

“Hi, these are two separate flash fiction stories I wrote the last few days. The first one is basically completely finished but the second is only the first draft and I plan on adding a few more sentences besides making it read better. I really REALLY love to write super descriptively. Think like HP Lovecraft, but it's harder to digest as a reader. I would imagine you would have to see inside my head to fully understand. I want some advice and thoughts on this. How easy is it to understand? E”

“Is it that common to start a story by thinking a cool name? Because of the title being so cool it needs to be used, even when you have no idea what to write about? Welp, it does happen to me. Like- right now. Its happening to me. submitted by /u/_issio [link] [comments]”

A lot of the times I was discouraged because people didn't seem to like my writing. I thought I was completely useless and a terrible writer. But it was not so. Turns…

“Hello, this is my first try at writing anything basically (outside of school), and it's a 2k short story, insipired by a writing prompt I found up online in an effort to improve my writing ability. I keep hearing that practise is the most important thing, so I decided to take a break from trying to write a novel and write something shorter. Anyway, the prompt was, what would you do if you woke up and found an enchanted snowfall had teleported you somewhere else. Any feedback would be greatly”

“I’m writing an anthology, trying different themes and genres out and took a stab at comedy. Wanted to get some feedback on if this start is funny at all? Please ignore the possible poor grammar etc, I tend to write and then edit later, I’m trying to get feedback on the actual content. I generally write based off prompts, this one was to include magic in an every day job submitted by /u/fflloorriiddaammaann [link] [comments]”

“I was told years ago that I should try writing a story that I like in order to understand how the author works. Like writing out the story can help you learn how to write like the author. But that doesn't sit well with me for some reason. That can lead you to copying the author's style and not quite building your own writing style. Though I could be wrong. Reading and analyzing would be the safest choice in getting to know the author's writing style, prose and more. I just don't”

“Every piece of art has something of ourselves in it. Go write the book. Put yourself out into the world.”

“I have been writing since I was 15. It was a way I expressed myself and I have quite gathered some content although never had it in me to publish it or even think it was worthy of it. Lot of my friends wanted me to publish my work. I mostly write poetry and have over 50+ pieces and even lost some of them. I dont know where to begin and how to go around this? submitted by /u/alhumdullilah99 [link] [comments]”

“I’m very new to writing and this is a short story loosely based on a memory of mine from childhood. I’d like to submit to a competition so looking for feedback on how to improve it. You can be as brutally honest as possible. Thanks in advance! submitted by /u/VelsGamer [link] [comments]”

“This sounds like a crazy question, but I don’t see any other way to broach the subject, and it’s been on my mind for a while now. I’ve came across advice that says critiquing work is a way to grow, and yes, I can somewhat see the reasoning behind it. However, I think there is also a risk that by being still unseasoned (and possibly unpublished), there isn’t a lot of proven basis on any critiques being given, and the criticism may end up completely ineffective in making the critique receiver achi”