Blog of Encouragement

Part 1

A Few Words of Encouragement

            Hey writers and readers! Happy Saturday! So the reason I am posting this is because I was just talking to some friends, some that are on Wattpad and some that are not. I find that every day, we struggle with feelings and situations that are both in our control and not. This past week, I know I have been struggling with the reads I’m getting for my story and wondering if what I write isn’t good enough. But, as I talked with someone I met here on Wattpad, I realized that even if I’m writing for myself, the story is worth posting. Maybe it will never see the light of day or be published. Maybe I’ll leave it alone and leave Wattpad, never seeing my story or the stats. I don’t know what’s going to happen. There’s even a chance that I will revisit it someday and change some things which will change the stats or even make it so that I want to find someone to publish it.

            I talked to my friend on Wattpad, trying to hide my confidence issues, only to have her tell me about hers! It took me talking to a friend to realize that I’m not the only one out there that feels like my writing is crap. I spent all day telling her how I feel about her writing. As much as I love her and I love my friends, I base all my relationships on truth, and that means that I will tell them the my true opinion. The time that I spent talking to her, I spent telling how amazing her writing is. And that is when it became clear to me that not only am I not the only one out there that is insecure about my writing but maybe my writing is inspiring someone else. The best part about that is whoever reads my writing and is inspired could possibly be better than me or have the potential to be better than me. I love that.

            This whole process, which consisted of me helping a friend with her insecurities and talking to a few others about their lives, taught me not to feel sorry for myself. Not only that, but I used to search for stories and if they had bad grammar, I would exit out of it and go to another one. I would feel sorry for the writers of those stories and now I’ve realized that the correct thing to do is encourage them and help them learn. People who write with grammar issues actually are in a great place, especially on Wattpad. Want to know why? On Wattpad it’s so easy to connect with others and find other writing friends that will keep you honest about progress on your stories. It’s like a gym partner. Going to the gym on your own is great but going with a friend and having them hold you accountable is the best. So people who aren’t completely up to date on their grammar have so many ways that they can learn.

As we further our writing, it becomes harder to understand what is wrong with our stories. Or at least that is what I’m finding. I find that as I read other stories by authors like Tijan, J Daniels, The Wattpad4, and others, I keep saying to myself, “I can write like that” and then I go to write. The problem is, and I think there are a few out there that have the same issue, after writing the next chapter or the next scene, I don’t feel like I’m writing as well as those authors do. This is another blow to my confidence. It’s easy to take that situation and just want to give up because it’s so hard. But nothing easy ever amounts to anything. If it wasn’t hard, if you didn’t have to work so hard at it, it wouldn’t be worth doing.

So here is the conclusion, finally. I know, this post was only supposed to be a few words and a one-time thing but as I’ve kept writing this, I’ve come up with the idea to do one of these a week. I may update this more than my actual story because, in all honesty, I love writing but I love encouraging people even more. I guess you can call this the introductory post and from now on, I will post on certain topics that are meant to encourage you. I’m always open to listening and helping others so if you’re having problems and need someone to talk to, I’m here for you.

Well guys, thanks for reading. I hope this gives you some encouragement or at least lets you know that you’re not alone. I hope you have a good night and a wonderful rest of your weekend!

Love,

M