"Guess I suck at being an author..."

[ForestDweller]

It's hard to realize, you just have no skill in doing something you love.

Some days, I feel absolutely confident in my skill in writing. Readers have praised my waifus, and one of the big reason why I started writing an isekai harem story is to write the kind of waifus I want to see in the genre. Maybe too well even, as my readers actually want the MC to go full incest with his sister, even though I originally only planned to write as the teasing big sister type, and not as an actual harem member.

But other times, when I see other stories passing over mine in growth with less wordcount, or when I see my story's rating dropping (seriously, it's really low compared to most of the stories in this site), I start to wonder if I actually suck. Maybe my ideas are just bad and I'm just too stubborn to not realize it. Or maybe I just can't execute them well enough. I can't just put all the blame of my readers not liking my plotlines on their personal taste. That reeks arrogance.

Well, maybe one day, when I get a scathing review that absolutely hits the mark, that I can't disagree with, I might just stop writing altogether, or back to doing RPs instead. But for now, I'm going to continue writing.

This is a ship that has long sailed within my self comprehension. I don’t have much talent for the things I like to do, or at least it feels that way.

As someone who is strongly affected by other people’s opinions about me, I just try to convince myself this is all just practice. I don’t have to be great a writing now, but with experience I’ll get better. And this is that experience. Or just keep the mindset like: at the end of the day, this is for me. I want to write this.

And then I’m like, great I’ve cheered up, back to procrastinating.

I can't agree with that reasoning. I don't want to practice my writing. I want to write a good story right away. I'm a lazy bum that way.

 

[GDLiZy]

Yes, you suck. Now go back to writing. Writing also sucks, but it's a lot better than not writing. It's a curse you have, so go write.

 

[kola]

Well as the title says, recently, I'm going through some downs of being an author. Like how some things I did a lot of thinking over just didn't work the way I intended it to be, or maybe it's just my writing sucks. It's hard to realize, you just have no skill in doing something you love.

In any case, I'm really in awe of the others who could take such beatings to their self-esteem. I guess I'm really weak-hearted when it comes to such matters, so let it be a cautionary tale to others...

The literary world is no joke. It isn't enough that you do things by heart, or even with proper observation and research. Guess you really need to have in-born talent, or educated in a proper school to write your ideas properly.

Oh well, rant over. Though the urge to quit and delete my works is strong, I'd still continue for those few who read it. Thanks for understanding and I apologize.

Many have said many good and motivational things. I will just like to add one thing.
I have an idea in my mind and started to write it. But I was so clueless about writing in English that even I find it hard to sometime understand, let alone readers.
So, at the start, people will come to the first chapter and move on. Being the clueless author I am, it never occurred to me what might be going wrong. So from the statistics part, I take the name of few kinds enough readers who have proceeded enough to get an idea of what was happening in the story.
I mailed them directly, asking them to tell what is their opinions. I will not say that after knowing it, I suddenly became a star author or something. But I managed to rectify a few things, and I am now rewriting the story again. It is much better than my first attempt.
to get the idea, here is my first story: https://www.scribblehub.com/series/155292/diary-of-otherworldly-king/
and its new rewrite: https://www.scribblehub.com/series/164359/diary-of-otherworldly-king-revisited-r/

 

[Nanakawaichan]

@HansTrondheim
Do not give up. If you are not motivated, calm yourself down for a moment, don't push yourself. Come back to writing when your spirits recover.

> Guess you really need to have in-born talent, or educated in a proper school to write your ideas properly.

I don't believe this. There is no such thing as in-born talent or having to go to proper school. Everyone has to learn to do something right, if we can't get it formally we can get it informally. Experience teaches more than any formal school.

 

[shiopan]

I love how encouraging this forum is :) it's nice to see such positivity.

Anyways, I hate to see you really down like this. Not that I know you personally, but I often see you on other threads that I think you are actually a cool person.

Keep on writing, since it's your passion :)

I had this one friend who was a fic writer. And she was accused of plagiarizing a fanfic. I wrote it with her and I know she didn't do it. It's just the theme and plot was really common. She never tries write again, and that makes me sad :( I guess I just don't wanna see fellow writer giving up.

 

[gaylolis]

the literary world is no joke, eh

comedy authors wanted to know your location

that aside, been through that phase, and i kinda just stop giving a fuck and aim for something higher. i guess, i just wanted to stop relying on others to make me feel good, and use writing as a way to become something much more than yesterday, and it kinda does the work.

compared to that, getting big in the literary world is meaningless to me.

as for luck, i prefer to get bagpipe in the next banner, i guess.

 

[DubstheDuke]

I understand where you're coming from. Sometimes you read someone elses writing that's really good and then you look at your own and you're just like man. I could never write at this level.

But you know what?

That's fine.

You have your own writing style. I have mine. Everyone has their own. And whether writing is good or bad, well that's all subjective either way. Depends on the person. Some people will like it. Some won't.

We don't have to be geniuses here. We just have to enjoy it, and so long as there is at least 1 person who enjoys our writing, then it was a worthwhile endeavor.

 

[NotaNuffian]

Well as the title says, recently, I'm going through some downs of being an author. Like how some things I did a lot of thinking over just didn't work the way I intended it to be, or maybe it's just my writing sucks. It's hard to realize, you just have no skill in doing something you love.

In any case, I'm really in awe of the others who could take such beatings to their self-esteem. I guess I'm really weak-hearted when it comes to such matters, so let it be a cautionary tale to others...

The literary world is no joke. It isn't enough that you do things by heart, or even with proper observation and research. Guess you really need to have in-born talent, or educated in a proper school to write your ideas properly.

Oh well, rant over. Though the urge to quit and delete my works is strong, I'd still continue for those few who read it. Thanks for understanding and I apologize.

Err, all I can say is close your eyes and take it up? I will be frank, I did not read your work and pretty much a lot of people's work, in SH, RRL, Literotica and Storiesonline. I had dropped or even did not start on the works that I saved into my reading list here solely because I don't have the mood. All I can say about bad reviews (I have shit tons of these IRL) is that take it in with a pinch of salt, especially the ones that questions your writing style. We are all different people, learnt from a single system but can spring up a dozen of varieties amongst ourselves. And remember that most if not all online readers are casual and most of them are in their 15s or even early 20s, so they crave for different things (mostly porn cuz sad wankers). Just take it easy and recall why you write, if you are writing for money, then understand who you are selling your product to. If you are writing for fun like myself, just say F it and go ballistic (P.s. I believe I don't have the rights to say that but the clusterfuck of words in my docs is disagreeing, plus I have been posting porn in other places, so...)

 

[Stratothrax]

A piece of advice I read from someone who has written 6 million words; Until you have written a million words your stuff is unlikely to be great. Up until you have written that much you shouldn't be that concerned about what you are writing or what people think of it. Casual writing is our friend.

I do believe you can cut down on the million word requirement to get gud however if you read a disgusting amount.

 

[Xiaoshen]

My man, this is how it is with the world of creative media. It ain't about being good at it, even. Success with art, music, writing, it's all about appeal. There are many badly written stories that make gangbuster because of that... So, don't base your worth as an artist in your success, but your own satisfaction in your work.

 

[Nahrenne]

Well as the title says, recently, I'm going through some downs of being an author. Like how some things I did a lot of thinking over just didn't work the way I intended it to be, or maybe it's just my writing sucks. It's hard to realize, you just have no skill in doing something you love.

In any case, I'm really in awe of the others who could take such beatings to their self-esteem. I guess I'm really weak-hearted when it comes to such matters, so let it be a cautionary tale to others...

The literary world is no joke. It isn't enough that you do things by heart, or even with proper observation and research. Guess you really need to have in-born talent, or educated in a proper school to write your ideas properly.

Oh well, rant over. Though the urge to quit and delete my works is strong, I'd still continue for those few who read it. Thanks for understanding and I apologize.

*huggles*
Stay strong.
Having even 1 reader for your story shows that your writing is worth doing.
If there's no readers, then that just means those who would like it haven't had the opportunity to see it yet.
It takes a lot of courage to show your writing to another person; it takes even more to complete what you started.
Live with no regrets and I hope you perk up again.
*huggles you even more*

X

 

[tofu_moon]

I see your comments from time to time on the forum, and I’m sad to see you down like this :( you’re a great guy! What keeps me writing is knowing somewhere out there, there’s someone that enjoys my work and is eagerly waiting for the next update.

sometimes, that person hasn’t found your work yet. It’s just a matter of time :)

 

[Yairy]

Yeah, hang in there. You're a great part of this community and we all share your strives as a writer. I always tell myself that "having one reader is worth it." but at times that feels so superficial. When you make something that is reasonably a great story but it doesn't get any recognition that breaks your will to keep going. But please push forward for yourself if anything. In the beginning, I'm sure you made your stories because that was what was in your heart.

Rooting for you!

 

[OvidLemma]

I always tell myself that "having one reader is worth it." but at times that feels so superficial.

I'm not sure *one* reader is worth it, since you with the time you put into storytelling, you could just tell a story to a few friends and be more impactful than reaching one reader. But, if you think of yourself as an entertainer who enriches people's lives, even having a small audience means you've made a difference. Based on read numbers, you've reached almost 15,000 people and @HansTrondheim has reached over 30,000. If you conservatively estimate that each reader spends about five minutes on a chapter, that's 1,250 hours that people have been entertained by your writing and over 2,500 for Hans. Personally, I think that's worthwhile, even if it takes a little while to cultivate an audience and develop those writing skills... even if a few bad apples absolutely hate your writing, and even if you never make a cent off your writing. It seems like a more worthwhile pastime than many.

 

[LostLibrarian]

Just remember, that people told J. K. Rowling Harry Potter wasn't good enough and she wouldn't be able to make a living with such children books...

 

[ForestDweller]

For what it's worth, I've read a bit of your story, and even if it's not my type of story, I still can say with confidence that you're a competent writer. I don't think you need to be afraid of not being good enough.

 

[JustLookingForSomeChange]

I've been writing full-length stories since I was a kid (going on thirteen years now), and while I'm not terribly successful or anything, I've learned a good deal about the craft. The best possible thing you can do (in my opinion) isn't to take creative writing classes in school, or to take any formal lessons, but to read. Read as much as possible. I guarantee that if you read a hundred books, you'll level up countless times as an author. I've taken years of creative writing courses (as it's my major) and let me tell you, while it has been helpful, it wasn't a make it or break it part of my growth as an author. A lot of the stuff they teach for English degrees is irrelevant, i.e. seven-hundred-year-old poems written by dead, nameless monks, or stories written in styles that won't sell today (Geoffrey Chaucer, Edmond Spencer, etc). They don't teach you how to be successful NOW, in the modern literary world. The only way to learn that, is to read tried and proven examples of stories and writing styles that work. Every one of your favourite books is also a textbook, at least for writers like us. If you read a ton of books, even if you can't explain what a hanging modifier is, you'll still know how to use them, and where, because you'll have seen it so many times in the novels that you read. I failed a basic grammar course in my first year, because I couldn't coin some terms and definitions that I'd always known how to implement subconsciously.
Another tip, whenever you encounter a word that you don't understand/recognize, google it. You'd be surprised how much this will grow your vocabulary. Also, don't take it to heart if someone gives you a spiteful/petty down vote, I suspect a lot of these votes come from disgruntled writers trying to raise their own rankings by lowering other people's, and also bitter readers for whatever reason. A two-second down vote doesn't take away all of the time, hard work, sacrifices and perseverance that you put into your work, it just means that somebody has acknowledged it and it's made them insecure. Be proud that you've chosen to hone a skill that not many people have, and stick with it! Stephen King's first published novel, Carrie, left him so distraught that he threw the manuscript in the garbage and left it at that, but then his wife dug it out in secret and sent it out to a publisher, that called him back with a $400,000 offer. You miss every shot that you don't take!

 

[Discount_Blade]

Well as the title says, recently, I'm going through some downs of being an author. Like how some things I did a lot of thinking over just didn't work the way I intended it to be, or maybe it's just my writing sucks. It's hard to realize, you just have no skill in doing something you love.

In any case, I'm really in awe of the others who could take such beatings to their self-esteem. I guess I'm really weak-hearted when it comes to such matters, so let it be a cautionary tale to others...

The literary world is no joke. It isn't enough that you do things by heart, or even with proper observation and research. Guess you really need to have in-born talent, or educated in a proper school to write your ideas properly.

Oh well, rant over. Though the urge to quit and delete my works is strong, I'd still continue for those few who read it. Thanks for understanding and I apologize.

I won't agree that you need to go to any school to learn how to write good. That's an elitist opinion and I've met people who genuinely thought that way and I didn't see much different between them and others who just wrote good because they wrote a lot. None at all. And no, the literary world is definitely no joke. It can be cruel. It can be confrontational. Toxic. Disheartening. But those who can squash that shit and keep going are legends. Or something very close.

And as for in-born talent, I do believe such a thing exists, but it's impossible for most people to accurately say who does and doesn't have it, so that's a fairly controversial standpoint to debate upon. As for deleting your works, I definitely don't agree. I've rewrote the same stories more than enough times to know deleting or starting over isn't always "in the name of progress".

And as for criticism, it will always be there. As long as people read, they will criticize, positively or negatively what they read. I have no good advice here, for I am also someone who, though not always, does sometimes take criticism a little harder than I should. I don't think everyone does. Some people truly don't give a shit. I unfortunately, am not one of them. Neither are you. Neither us or them are wrong in our reactions to criticism. All that matters is what we do next.

I struggle with various bouts of depression contracted from various events of my past, you suffer in whatever way you do for whatever reason you do. And while this sounds cheesy/cliche, I was always told by others to use that pain as fuel to create something beautiful. Something to remind you and the world that regardless of how bad you hurt, you still live and breathe. And thats beautiful all by itself.

Kinda went all over with this. Disregard my statements if it makes no sense. I struggle with self-doubt at times and this hit a little home so my response was a bit more emotionally conflicted than normal. Perhaps it didn't come out as clear as it was intended.

 

[Discount_Blade]

I've been writing full-length stories since I was a kid (going on thirteen years now), and while I'm not terribly successful or anything, I've learned a good deal about the craft. The best possible thing you can do (in my opinion) isn't to take creative writing classes in school, or to take any formal lessons, but to read. Read as much as possible. I guarantee that if you read a hundred books, you'll level up countless times as an author. I've taken years of creative writing courses (as it's my major) and let me tell you, while it has been helpful, it wasn't a make it or break it part of my growth as an author. A lot of the stuff they teach for English degrees is irrelevant, i.e. seven-hundred-year-old poems written by dead, nameless monks, or stories written in styles that won't sell today (Geoffrey Chaucer, Edmond Spencer, etc). They don't teach you how to be successful NOW, in the modern literary world. The only way to learn that, is to read tried and proven examples of stories and writing styles that work. Every one of your favourite books is also a textbook, at least for writers like us. If you read a ton of books, even if you can't explain what a hanging modifier is, you'll still know how to use them, and where, because you'll have seen it so many times in the novels that you read. I failed a basic grammar course in my first year, because I couldn't coin some terms and definitions that I'd always known how to implement subconsciously.
Another tip, whenever you encounter a word that you don't understand/recognize, google it. You'd be surprised how much this will grow your vocabulary. Also, don't take it to heart if someone gives you a spiteful/petty down vote, I suspect a lot of these votes come from disgruntled writers trying to raise their own rankings by lowering other people's, and also bitter readers for whatever reason. A two-second down vote doesn't take away all of the time, hard work, sacrifices and perseverance that you put into your work, it just means that somebody has acknowledged it and it's made them insecure. Be proud that you've chosen to hone a skill that not many people have, and stick with it! Stephen King's first published novel, Carrie, left him so distraught that he threw the manuscript in the garbage and left it at that, but then his wife dug it out in secret and sent it out to a publisher, that called him back with a $400,000 offer. You miss every shot that you don't take!

Finally someone else who gets the grammar nonsense I've also experienced. Let me tell you, I spent years in writing based classes in high school and in university, alongside my history-based majors, and I NEVER passed a single grammar course yet I scored very high marks in the writing-intensive sections of classwork/homework/exams. It baffled me that professors couldn't understand that just because I can write it, doesn't mean I know the ins and the outs of its rules. They just didn't understand that just because I couldn't regurgitate all of these technical details, didn't mean they would necessarily lessen my ability to put pen to paper.

 

[JustLookingForSomeChange]

Finally someone else who gets the grammar nonsense I've also experienced. Let me tell you, I spent years in writing based classes in high school and in university, alongside my history-based majors, and I NEVER passed a single grammar course yet I scored very high marks in the writing-intensive sections of classwork/homework/exams. It baffled me that professors couldn't understand that just because I can write it, doesn't mean I know the ins and the outs of its rules. They just didn't understand that just because I couldn't regurgitate all of these technical details, didn't mean they would necessarily lessen my ability to put pen to paper.

My exact experience, I found that classes like that overcomplicated the process by a ridiculous degree, and that people who excelled in those classes weren't particularly better than others who didn't. At the end of the day, it's all about how much time goes into reading/writing/editing, and also passion and perseverance.