Do you ever compare your articles with other writer's?

My thought is you only improve by doing. If you spend all your time worrying about what others think of your hubs, or that they aren't good enough, etc. you spend less time writing and practicing. Your hubs (and writing in general) will improve naturally over the course of time with experience, just like any other skill. I certainly understand where you are coming from, because as writers we feel we are putting ourselves out there a little bit with everything we publish and that seeming vulnerability can be intimidating, but you have to "fake it til you make it" sometimes and just boldly push that publish button and see what happens! You can always go back and revise/edit if you find that your hub is not getting the response you had hoped for.

I think that comparing my writing to other good writers is very useful in making sure that I am writing well. Good writers write hubs that do not contain spelling errors. It is easy to understand their thought process, and you can follow their thought processes smoothly from beginning to end. They provide interesting anecdotes to clarify their points and make the topic more interesting. More importantly, they teach me something I didn't know before.

Yes, it does make it hard to press the publish button. Sometimes I re-read my hub several times to make sure it is okay. Then I just have to let it go and press the publish button. My hub has to be very good but it doesn't have to be perfect.

I used to just sit down and write my hubs and publish them immediately. Now, I tend to write them a bit at a time, revisit, then finish them. I do a lot of writing in my head before it ever hits the page, so there's ample time for self-edits. I don't compare myself to others because I'm trying to put my voice on the page, not the voice of someone else. Which is not to say that I don't read a lot of other hubs and articles for inspiration. You can't be a writer unless you are a reader first. If you have worries about your articles before you publish them, ask a friend who you trust as an editor (meaning they know how to spell and check grammar) and have them give it a once over. Otherwise, do what the rest of us do...wring our hands and despair of ever getting better, while we continue to put words to page and then publish. Good luck!

Of course I do! Initially. When it is very personal. When it hits a nerve. When I know it is "one of my truths that has to be told." Then fear hits first, as usual and rushes around, checking out this and that. "Oh, really now. I can talk about that here? I don't think so."

Insecurities, at the beginning. In the middle, and I am sure, sometimes at the end. Like, I just didn't write my answer.

I read most of the responses first, but I admit, I pretty much kept true to my original thought. I don't change it to fit in with the flow anymore.

Coming back into writing again, and reading...ok..you get the picture. Great question!

It has been said to write as though you are talking to someone. We all have our own style of writing. I will check out sites, articles if I am stuck on an idea, and not sure which way to go with it, just to get some ideas but other than that, I do not make comparisons between my writing and that of others.

No, I don't compare my writing with someone else's. I really love writing and enjoy my work. I know I don't have all the answers, and can learn something - which I may from reading others hubs - but I am pretty confident in my work so I don't compare.