Fuel for the Inferiority Complex

[rusty_armour]

Man, I'm bummed out. I just received a submission for the RoS Fanfic Archive that's approximately 42,000 words. Now, while the thought of reading and editing this story seems a little daunting, that isn't what's depressing me. No, I'm depressed because I'm pretty sure the writer in question managed to write a story this long in only a few months. I've been working on my own fic for over two years and it's only about 60,000 words. If it was another writer, I might console myself with bitchy thoughts on how the work probably won't measure up given the short time span involved. However, everything this writer has written has been seriously good, so I don't even have that luxury.

If I were a better person, I would use this seething jealousy to drive my own ambition instead of allowing it to cripple me with self-doubt. Of course, if I were a better person, I wouldn't be seeing green in the first place...

Comments

[njc2007.livejournal.com]

Don't feel badly about this. I have a "novel" (I use that term very loosely) that is up to 30 pages so far. I've worked on it (off and on) for about twenty years. Oh, and those pages are double spaced, so I'm probably around 7500 words. I'm working at the amazing pace of 375 words per year. Hey, that's about one word per day.

So, long story short, a whole lot of people write at a whole lot of different speeds. There will be those who are faster and those who are slower. Don't compare your output to others. You do only what *you* do.

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

Well, one word a day is a lot better than my output has been lately. *g* All the same, it's reassuring to hear that not every writer is like Roadrunner. I usually try not to compare myself to other writers, but sometimes I just can't help it. However, you're absolutely right. Everyone writes at different speeds and sometimes the speed changes depending on the project. As you've pointed out, it's best just to stay focused on your own work and not make comparisons. This is a lot easier said than done, but I'm beginning to realize that it's essential in my case if I'm going to prevent my self-confidence from taking a nosedive.

Thanks for the pep talk! It helped a lot! :-)