Why Does My Writing Suck?

I remember when I was a kid and I played tennis for the first time. I was already a very good baseball player and could play a little football and basketball too. Tennis, however, took me quite some time to figure out. My brother Adam is 5 years older than me and when I was 12, my 17-year old brother pretty much dominated me at everything.

I’ll never forget the time that I was just an annoying 14-year old who persevered and finally beat my older brother in tennis. It was one of the greatest accomplishments of my young life and one that I still consider to be a goal that I fought tremendously hard for. I worked my ass off to beat him and the end result was well worth all the defeat I had to endure prior to that glorious day.

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Writing is similar to learning how to play a sport. It’s difficult at first but with hard work and practice, you can become great. When you sit down and write, your first draft should be lacking, to say the least. Many times, it will just plain suck. You’ll read it again and think to yourself, “What in the world was I thinking?”

Anyone can write but only the diligent can edit. Editing can be excruciating and mundane at times but it is necessary.

It’s not optional.

You will need to edit, rewrite, and then do it all over again, many times. So, don’t worry about your writing not being any good. Instead, keep working and keep writing. The only thing stopping you is you.

3 thoughts on “Why Does My Writing Suck?

  1. Spot on! Love the comparison to sports in that you only get better through practice. It cracks me up when I see some writers get all excited when they’ve finished a first draft and are immediately planning release. I get excited when I finish a first draft but I know there are several more drafts ahead of me. To be, the rewrites are where the fun can really start.

    1. You are so right! Finishing a first draft is a huge accomplishment but writers understand that there is so much still to be done. Edit after edit after edit; not to mention marketing, querying, promoting, and the many other things that go along with trying to publish a quality book.

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