Good Writers Don't Exist, Which is Why You Need to Write
Good writers are just like good cooks, they don’t exist.
Of course, we love James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Octavia Butler, Antonia Royal-Whitmore, and Maya Angelou, but my initial statement stands.
Have you ever gotten a rave review about a restaurant from a friend, you try the restaurant just for it to be mid*?
You may have thought "how did they think this was good food?"
The same goes with writing.
How does one measure ‘good writing’?
Is it the praise they receive from literary agents and publishers?
Or the likes and shares on their social media posts?
Maybe it’s the number of books sold?
Is it having ‘#1 Best Selling Author’ transcribed on the ledge of their book?
If so, none of these things are a concrete reflection of the writing.
Authors are literary agents and publishers' investment, of course they're going to praise the work.
Social media is not a real place. People like feed posts for several reasons and let's not pretend that likes and followers aren't often bought!
Number of books sold has much to do with marketing, ads, price, book topic, and influence. A reader typically doesn't know if the book meets their expectations until after they purchase.
How many books have the #1 bestselling author printed on the cover? This label seems to be losing its power because it's so accessible and common. In addition, there are several loopholes to achieve this achievement.
What I'm trying to say is, there isn't one universal and definite way to measure good writing.
'Good writing' is typically a combination of preference, perspective, demographics, personal experience, relatability, and conformity.
I know this is such an odd way to motivate you to write and share your creativity, but if there is no true rubric to judge your work, there's nothing to lose. You will always be someone's favorite writer, creator, visionary, even if it's just you.
From one creator to another, it is important to unlearn the grandiosity perspective many of us have adopted. There's a belief that every idea or project has to sell out, go viral, and receive praise from the masses. This is a common fallacy.
You have permission to be imperfect, learning, and growing in your craft, but writing is unavoidable. Open the laptop, find a pen & paper, get the earbuds, it's time to write!
*mid- average, unimpressive
Be sure to like, comment, and share this post.
Also, check out our other blogs, join our newsletter, and follow our online community on Instagram!
If you are looking for more representative children's literature, check out our growing catalog!
Happy writing,
Publack Library Publishing