I vaguely recall those days as a child when I shared my stories without worrying about what others thought. But, somewhere down the line as both an avid reader and writer, I began comparing my work to those of other authors.

It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve been told that I’m a strong writer. That sentiment, however sincere, doesn’t stick.

Instead, I get wrapped up in all the wrong that I see in my writing, in how other authors are more engaging than me- more experienced even. They’ll make it. I surely won’t.

My inner critic controlled my actions for years (it still does at times).

Don’t get me wrong, on occasion comparing yourself to other writers can be beneficial.

Comparisons help you reflect on your standards and consider future actions. It gives you the drive to persist and challenge yourself to improve.

Comparing yourself to other writers can be a positive experience.

But, here’s the problem: When comparing yourself to other writers leaves you ready to give up because there’s no way you’ll ever be as great as they are, then you have veered into dangerous territory.

Negative comparisons can leave you frozen – unable to continue writing because you endlessly worry about how bad your writing is.

When you reflect on your writing and only see the worst of it, the little kernels of what it could become are shadowed by what you didn’t get right.

You lose your abundance mindset and believe that no one will ever publish your book.

You think “There are so many successful authors, there’s no room for me.” Your scarcity mindset pushes into overdrive and you’ve lost the ability to reign in your negative self-talk.

I’ve done this with most of my writing.

My beautiful fantasy novel which has been taking up space in my subconscious since university comes to mind.

It took me four years to write the first one, another four for the sequel and they aren’t done yet.

Revisions need to be made, but I’m worried they’ll never be good enough, and never compare to what’s already out there for readers to enjoy. 

And yet, I CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS STORY!

It’s got something. I just need to find the resilience to dig it out of the rubble.

But, what if I don’t have that skill? What if there isn’t a diamond in the rough? What if… I could go on and on.

Instead of spiralling into self-doubt, I want to create a mindset shift.

You could repeat an action because “you should” but if you don’t believe in it – if your self-confidence isn’t being shifted, then it’s an empty cause. 

Here are 5 things to remember when you start comparing yourself to other writers.

Hopefully, these will help you redirect your thoughts, grasp a hold of the negative self-talk, question it, and look for the truth.

In the end, I have a journal sheet to help you reflect on your inner critic and start refuting the lion as soon as it rears its head.

Are you writing the same novel word to word, plot point to plot point as that published author?

Of course not, that would be plagiarism. Even if you find yourself writing in the same genre, with a similar theme or story arc, your writing style, your voice and the intricacies of your story are different.

Your story is unique. It is infused with your experiences and where you are along your writing journey at that very moment. 

Trying to compare your work to another is like forcing your feet into too-small shoes. It doesn’t work. There’s no logical basis for doing so.

If you’re working on a manuscript that hasn’t made it through editors who have polished it, then of course your work won’t be up to par with a published book.

Can you imagine what their manuscript looked like after a first draft?

I’m convinced that every author steps back at some point and cringes – then, it’s excavation time!

That author’s work is published. They’ve swept aside the rubble and shown the ruby underneath.

Don’t compare your first draft to their finished product.

Just don’t do it!

Think way, way back to second grade. Would you judge a seven-year-old for not writing a short story that isn’t to the heights of our great published authors?

Am I being dramatic? Absolutely!

But, you know that seven-year-old has years of writing ahead of them and that the tiny present-day writer inside them isn’t the end of the road.

You know that their skills are going to improve with time, practice, and commitment to the craft. And those who have a true writer’s soul will put in all that hard work.

So, think about where you started and where you are now. Consider your writing from 10, 5, or even 2 years ago. How has it evolved?

Think deeply. Don’t just brush over this question. Pull out your old drafts if you need to and compare them. Read your first chapters of various novels side by side. 

Now, read the first chapter of your manuscript. Hopefully, by this point, you’ll start to notice all the positive progress you’ve made.

And progress doesn’t need to be in giant leaps and bounds. It can be small, steady, and almost invisible up close.

Instead of comparing yourself to other writers, reflect on your own writing journey.

Take a step back and look how far you’ve come. Past You, congratulate Present-Day You on all your hard work. Present You, thank Past You for your dedication.

We are all lifelong learners and our progress can’t be tracked on some formal assessment.

When I set my manuscripts side by side, I see long dragged-out beginnings of protagonists wandering around their everyday life for way too long until adventure finds them (elementary school me).

Then, I overshot to the far side of in medias res – starting in the action-packed middle, so far into the middle that the plot is confused. The protagonist and I aren’t quite sure how we got there (high school me).

By university, I was finally learning to hook the reader without leaving them spinning. If I didn’t look back at past me, well, I wouldn’t see how far my writing has come.

Knowing that your storytelling skills have strengthened, sets you up to appreciate where you’ll be in the future.

Every writer will improve at their own pace. Your current story is not indicative of all that you will ever be able to write.

Your past speaks this truth.

If you want to write. If it is what you can’t help but do. If your head is filled with ideas, thoughts, and stories to share, and rather than speak them aloud, your first instinct is to put them on paper (or type them up), then YOU ARE A WRITER. 

This is about self-limiting beliefs.

If when someone asks you about what you’re working on, you are embarrassed to share because you haven’t been published, then you are only holding yourself back.

Self-sabotage is what it’s called.

A writer’s purpose is to write. Not necessarily to get published.

Not all facets of life need to be competitive. We are all on our own creative journeys and there are multiple pathways to success.

What does success mean to you? Are there stepping stones to success?

Isn’t writing itself in a society where so many people are too busy, too distracted, to sit down for hours on end and create a story through their own words, a success?

Many people will not ever write as you write. There will be those who limit themselves to simply dreaming about being a writer. 

Embrace your inner creative artist. Don’t just dream it. Do it.

Remember that you are a writer because you are driven to write.

End of story.

When you are discouraged by the success of others and it seems to tarnish the tiny hills you’ve climbed, remember that your self-worth does not hinge on your authorial success. 

The hardest essay I ever wrote was actually in teacher’s college. I can’t remember the class but I do remember struggling to write about who I am.

When that essay was returned to me, my professor encouraged me to keep digging. I’m not just a teacher, Canadian, a student, or family member. That’s my surface-level identity. My true identity is something deeper.

I don’t claim to have it all figured out and I know that I still put more weight than I should in these roles.

I do know that my success or failure as a writer does not determine my self-worth. 

If you are wondering whether you are good enough to continue as a writer then it is your self-esteem taking the hit.

Comparing yourself to other writers will not give you the answers you are looking for. In fact, they will likely lead you to false conclusions.

You can determine your own value in all facets of life.

It’s really hard to build confidence when your goals are squashed many times over; however, it is not the role of these external awards to determine if you are successful or a good writer, that job falls to you.

You must believe in your worth as a writer. You must believe that you are valuable as a person.

You’re in the middle of the mess, a murky swamp that makes you cringe at the thought of sifting through it all. You’ve got this brilliant idea, a plot so meaningful and intricate that you imagine it bringing tears and laughter to readers.

You’ve imagined the future of your work in progress. You’ve dreamed of it bound and sitting neatly on shelves in bookstores across the country.

You’ve planned what you would say when people ask you what it’s like to be published.

You can see the future. It’s just that it feels so far away and filled with countless details aside from writing the novel itself that it bogs you down.

It’s time for you to remember that every tiny step takes you closer.

Full disclosure – it’s been a week and a half of writing almost every day for me to get to this point in the blog post.

With work and personal life getting in the way, every time one of these posts takes me longer than I expect, I can’t help but feel discouraged.

How can I be a blogger and a writer when I can’t maintain a writing schedule? Will I lose the momentum that I have?

It’s time to pause where you are, take a step back, and consider the tiny successes you’ve had recently. Celebrate them on your own, for you.

Take pride in what you’ve accomplished this far. Be excited for what comes next, but don’t forget to appreciate the present.

It’s not about how fast you make it to the finish line. It’s whether or not you put in the dedication and the work to get there that counts.

I hope this post has helped you to reconsider the worth of your writing. I hope you can see that comparing yourself to other writers should not cause you to give up on your dreams.

So, keep writing, remember your worth, and celebrate every step of the way!

Let’s celebrate our small wins in the comments below. What creative moment are you currently proud of yourself for?

Download these journal prompts to add to your toolbox in the event you fall into a spiral of comparisons. Hopefully, they will help you climb back up that mountain again.

Talk soon!

Julia