You’ll Never Write Like Me (And Why That’s a Good Thing!)

Writing is hard. You know that. You know that your toughest critic is usually yourself. We compare ourselves to other writers too often and we feel like our work just isn’t good enough.

We get discouraged and, as a consequence, we might even give up writing, at least for a little while. Don’t do this to yourself! Let me tell you why you should never compare your writing to other writers’ work.

Telling The Truth

At its core, writing is thinking refined. In essence, since we all think differently, we all naturally write differently. This is a good thing, as it ensures your writing remains interesting. Could you imagine if all writing were the same and every piece you read had the same exact tone? How boring!

Only you can tell the stories that live inside of you. You have to be true to yourself. If you’re not, then writing becomes something you won’t enjoy doing. It becomes a chore, and it will show. Your readers will see right through it.

When you are true to yourself and write the truth of what you’re thinking and feeling, your writing will become more powerful as a result.

So how do you tell the truth in your writing? The best way is to just write whatever comes to your mind. Don’t censor yourself.

A good indicator of whether your writing is true or not is this: When thinking of people reading your work, you have a little bit of anxiety. This is natural and can be good because it means you’re being honest and sharing a little bit of your true self.

It may take some practice and take some getting used to, but writing truthfully is a skill that every writer should have.

Have you struggled with being truthful in your writing? Does your writing suffer when you’re not being honest? Leave a comment below.