Do you ever get the feeling that your writing isn't good enough?

Jump to Last Post 1-16 of 16 discussions (22 posts)
  1. bellawritter23 profile image77
    bellawritter23posted 13 years ago

    I posted this Question under my questions asked, and I seemed to have gotten a bit of responses, so I ask the question in a forum because I feel it gives off some sort of strive to improvement in writting. Please feel free to answer this forum.

    Thanks for your participation
    bellawritter23

    1. profile image0
      Brenda Durhamposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      No, at least not my poetry, which most of my writing consists of....because poetry is a heart-thing and comes easily, and is rather unsusceptible to most judgement.

      But in other types of writing, yes, because I don't take the time to research much that should be researched.   But even with that, it's my lack of ambition that keeps my writing from being "good".   
      (sigh) if it were good, I suppose I'd be making money from it!  haha

      Well, there's one thing about writing/writers..
      Seems the most well-known and effective ones become "good" later on----even after they're (gulp) deceased.....
      Must we wait that long???!!  Oh my!  hahaaa

      1. ar.colton profile image80
        ar.coltonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

        I don't think your ability to make money on your work is a great indicator of how good it is. Like you said that are a number of authors who weren't considered spectacular in their own time that we worship now and a lot of really terrrible writers that make a lot from their work.

    2. tmbridgeland profile image80
      tmbridgelandposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      After I read certain authors, yes. There are some writers I will just never equal.

      1. Shadesbreath profile image77
        Shadesbreathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

        That's me too. I read stuff all the time that is just so totally humbling. I pick up stuff by McCarthy or Nabokov or Pessoa or Wharton ... the list is really long ... and it's just like, "Ugh, I am always going to suck."

        I think as writers, we just have to keep reading the great, great writers and watch how they write, study their word choices and their economy, look at what the DON'T put in their work as much as what they do, and, if we keep writing and reading all the time, we will get, well, as good as we can.

        Hopefully someday it will be "good." You know? But at least it is fun and gives us joy, and sometimes, on blissful occasions, it gives others joy too. I'd rather get a big fat check, but I'll take that other one in lieu of payment while I work on my technique. smile

  2. Jaggedfrost profile image61
    Jaggedfrostposted 13 years ago

    In my mind, even my poetry isn't immune.  If people don't get anything out of it, if I don't feel that I have expressed my point or if there are glitches that people can detect as they go through it I love hearing about that.  A glitch is an invitation to improve.  No sense in getting depressed about it, if you fix it then you are giving yourself a chance to grow as a writer.

  3. profile image0
    Edliraposted 13 years ago

    For someone who has a really nasty internal judge,like in my case, that is every day reality :-)!It is both a curse and a blessing. A curse because you are never happy with yourself and don't really enjoy your successes, and a blessing because it helps you get better, by searching to perfect your writing style.

  4. Greek One profile image64
    Greek Oneposted 13 years ago

    only after i press "Publish"

  5. tnderhrt23 profile image74
    tnderhrt23posted 13 years ago

    It is an ongoing struggle for me, and is not limited to my writing, I fear...I had to chuckle at Greek One's response...yup, just a click of the publish button has triggered self-doubt a time or two or three for me! lol!

  6. ar.colton profile image80
    ar.coltonposted 13 years ago

    I think I always need to think that my writing isn't good enough, otherwise I would stop writing. If I finish a piece and then look at it and think "It could be better." then I will try to do better every time I put my pen to paper.

    If I decide finally that I'm great I've probably ceased to be good at all, as I will no longer be trying.

  7. Ultimate Hubber profile image72
    Ultimate Hubberposted 13 years ago

    All the time! However there are times when I am impressed by my writing, but such occasions are rare.

  8. kallini2010 profile image78
    kallini2010posted 13 years ago

    I truly believe that each of us does his/her personal best at any given moment.

    Getting better at writing is only possible by writing more (writhing as well).  Perfection does not exist...

    Besides, not good enough for what?

    What makes you write in the first place?  Money for me is not a motivator, because my hubs are not a Gold Mine. LOL  But it is my choice of content, I am not a commercial writer or artist.

  9. Rafini profile image83
    Rafiniposted 13 years ago

    All the time - it's difficult to believe my writing is good enough to serve the purpose its meant to serve.

  10. L.L. Woodard profile image67
    L.L. Woodardposted 13 years ago

    I think I am a good writer, at least of non-fiction. Haven't attempted fiction in decades. Could I become a better writer? You betcha. Good is nice, but I want to improve on that.

  11. Pcunix profile image92
    Pcunixposted 13 years ago

    Sure. When i feel incompetent, I just go do some hub hopping and that usually cheers me up immensely.

  12. shynsly profile image60
    shynslyposted 13 years ago

    Yeah, pretty much every single time I click "submit". Thankfully, the majority of the Hubbers I've had the pleasure of interacting with either disagree with me, or are just entirely too polite to confirm my fears, lol.

  13. shynsly profile image60
    shynslyposted 13 years ago

    For whatever it's worth though, you don't get over 300 "followers" and a score over 90 by being a sub-par writer.

    1. Pcunix profile image92
      Pcunixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not sure that's true,  Yes, it can be true for some, but I don't think it has to be.

      Case in point: I'm a careless writer and overuse certain words like 'however" and  "therefore".   I tend to leave out important details and punctuate wildly.  I'm not saying the results are terrible, but I'm pretty sure no literary agent will ever call me.  It's not "good", it's just "ok".

      So, I guess it depends on what standards you want to judge yourself by.

    2. Randy Godwin profile image61
      Randy Godwinposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Not so sure about that!

  14. Alya rose profile image60
    Alya roseposted 13 years ago

    I feel like my writing leaves much to be desired,mostly after I finish reading other authors work.

  15. mistyhorizon2003 profile image88
    mistyhorizon2003posted 13 years ago

    Always, the day I believe my writing IS good enough I have become arrogant enough to think I have nothing left to learn.

  16. Randy Godwin profile image61
    Randy Godwinposted 13 years ago

    Good enough for what?  I like to write.  I make a few bucks writing.  I even enjoy reading some of the junk I've written in the past.  As it says in my own "Godwin inspired" self-written bible-Don't worry, be happy! Wait... that's merely an old song!  I'll add the obviously profound proverb to my bible though!smile

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)