As bloggers and writers, both published, self published, or unpublished, I think we all get to that point where we wonder: is it ever going to be enough?
Are my efforts ever going to be WORTH it? How much longer do I have to persevere? When will my story take off?
Fair questions. Everybody is asking them.
The truth is, I don’t know how much is enough. I don’t know where you have to be or how far you have to go. The world is a cruel place, especially to writers.
Why?
Well, first of all, there’s simply TONS of competition. Years ago if you said, “I’m a writer–I wrote a book” people’s jaws would drop in amazement. “Really?!” they’d say. “I could never do that!”
But nowadays, if you tell someone, “I wrote a book”, they very well might reply, “Yeah, me too!”
Let’s face it. Being a writer isn’t an anomaly anymore.
You know what is an anomaly? BEING A WRITER THAT STANDS OUT.
It’s easy to be a writer. It’s easy to be a GOOD writer. But being a writer that stands out is what everyone is looking for.
I guess that’s your answer then: how much is enough? How far do you have to go?
As far as it takes to make yourself STAND OUT.
Lots of people have great writing skills. Lots of people have good stories, compelling characters, etc. But not everyone is able to put all of those traits together into something wonderful, unique, and capable of being BETTER than everyone else’s.
Take a step back. Analyze yourself and your writing. What makes you stand out? Or what WILL make you stand out?
If you can figure out the answers to these questions, then you’ll soon know how much is enough.
What do you think?
P.S.
My book, Elithius, is still available for download and purchase here. Lemme know what you think of it!
I think this is something I’m truly terrified of… I’ve essentially built my entire life around “im going to be a writer” but what if I just don’t cut it? So much competition out there, it’s so daunting!
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Aw, I totally feel you! It’s been my dream forever! The goal is to push through the doubts. If you want it bad enough, you can do it!!
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I feel your pain. There is a lot going on in life at the same time while working on a blog. Balancing life and time out can be tricky.
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Ugh, I totally get you….that’s my life right now too!
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Asking yourself what makes you stand out is an important question. There’s another important one for writers to ask themselves if they ever find themselves at that “when will it be enough” point: why are you writing? Finding the answer to this can help you answer what makes you stand out, as well as answering “when will it be enough?” Our own personal goals help us decide how and when to move forward with the project. It can be tricky balancing life and side projects, but that’s also part of the adventure. (It’s not so much a matter of being better than other works, as finding your own unique writing that nests into the world of writing.)
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Ah, excellent point! You’re right, you’ve gotta ask big questions like that. And you need to find the answers. You have a very positive point of view! 🙂
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