Tuesday, August 23, 2011

A Boost in Confidence for Writers


By Adelaide Kwaning:

There are times when writers feel discouraged, perhaps even frustrated. Writing is not easy. It takes a certain amount of skill to string together sentences that both you and your reader can enjoy. The trouble with writing is it’s not good enough to just put words on paper. They have to be coherent and captivating. However, it seems that in most cases the woes of writing come from within us.

People are usually their own worst critic, especially writers. We are determined to change the world with our words and we feel that we must do it the first time around. However, you need to remember that you do not have to get it “right” the first time.

Writing is a process, a process that takes time. You will write, rewrite and then rewrite again. Fast writing is helpful, but do not believe the myth that it is essential to your success as a writer. Unless you are a prodigy, and most of us aren’t, your first draft is not your best. Yet many people feel that they have to be perfect the first time around.

I encounter many writers who produce documents and then angrily moan when they have to revise them; upset that they were unable to have it perfect when they began the writing process. Do they not realize that they are still in it?

It can’t be denied that it would be wonderful to create a masterpiece in one quick sweep. But there is no writer’s magic wand. You have to accept this. Tell yourself right now, “I don’t have to get it the first time around”. Say it over and over again until it sticks. It takes time to create no matter what you are doing; you need to have compassion for yourself. Perfection comes with practice and so does confidence.

The more time you spend developing each paragraph and correcting careless mistakes the better your piece will be. This results in a confidence boost and an enthusiasm to continue to create. Do not feel discouraged if it is taking you longer to complete your final draft. You will be more pleased when the final result of your work is something that you took time to create rather than producing a low quality piece that you know is unsatisfactory to your reader but, most importantly, to you.

The winners of the writing game are not the ones who finish first. This is not about speed. Your main goal should be to create something that you can enjoy and as an added bonus something that your readers can enjoy. This does not happen when you try to produce documents at warp speed. It happens when you take your time to have a well written final product.

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