What if you’re not good enough?
I often hear from people, “Well, I’m not that good.”
I instantly translate that in my head into Japanese – not because I’m a native Japanese speaker, but because I think it’s a cultural phenomenon ‘Merica shares with Japan.
When someone compliments you in either country, it is socially acceptable to dismiss it with the reply, “No, I’m not really that good.” Joju, Jarimasen.
Of course, compare that to the rock throwing competition in Braveheart. “That was a good throw!” “Aye, it was!”
You’ll see soon an article where I lay out the statistics of good writers, pants’ers, planners, and terrible writers. The odds are statistically you are a planner who thinks you’re a pants’er, and have never finished a novel.
Easy fix. Switch methods and work hard for a month. Finished novel.
What if it’s terrible?
Statistics show that your first novel is bad because it’s your first novel.
So write another.
Then another.
If you complete novel four and all four are just bad, just bone-achingly bad – then you’ve beaten the odds and are one of the minority who should never write.
The odds are not as bad as being hit by lightning or attacked by a shark, but still, it’s one in a thousand are just bad writers. Odds are good that’s not your case.
Here’s what you’re likely to see. First novel, bad. Get novacaine, because it’s bad enough to make your teeth ache.
Second novel, better. Third novel, much better.
Fourth novel, really really good.
If on novel five you’re still writing, “Look! Up in the road, ahead!” um… you need to examine what you’re doing. By then, it should be hitting you that you can write that much better.
“What’s that?” Mary pointed.
“I don’t see it.” Jake shaded his eyes. The heat drifting from the asphalt made identification difficult.
Robert hefted the spear. “It’s moving.” He said. “We have to go.”
Like that. You should be getting excited, thinking, “Wait! I know how to write that scene better!”
Good! Do it!
But if after novel five you’re still writing “As you know Bob…”, you’ve either got bad habits or you need to examine what you’re doing.
Here’s the really good news. Statistically, the odds are you’ve just got bad habits.
I’ve got terrible habits. I’m always writing scene setups I end up slashing from every chapter. “John stood in the room.” Ugh! But I’ve got this mental quirk, I HAVE to write that to set the scene or no words follow it! This means I’ve got five words to slash right away from every chapter, roughly 110 to 150 words a novel.
You might have the same nervous tick, but it’s running to 50,000 words a novel.
Besides, there’s good news. Even if you ARE one of the 1 in 1000 who are terrible writers, odds are good you still will get published. I can’t count how many action novels like “The Ninja” series or “Dirty Harry” were truly bad.
A quick check of how many novels of each were sold will tell you that if you’re one of the 1 in 1000 who are truly terrible – keep writing. It’s a lucrative career. Besides, I had some of those novels.
And statistically… you’ll get better.
Remember, “I’m not that good” is just manners, not truth.
The odds are against you not being good enough.
