How Do You Know If Your Writing Is Good?
Most writers wonder if their writing is any good at least once or twice a second.
I’m kidding, of course. Typically, we try to only contemplate this every 3-4 minutes, max.
But seriously, are you even a writer if you don’t ask yourself if the stuff you’re creating is any good?
I have a distinct memory of being in the middle of the first draft of my first novel, happily typing away, tens of thousands of words deep into that project when the thought first hit me: IS THIS EVEN ANY GOOD??
I was in a Starbucks when this happened. My earbuds were in, my writing playlist pulling me through what just minutes before had been a great writing session.
Self-doubt can hit hard and suddenly like that, but it usually doesn’t mean anything.
I see now that the real question I was asking myself about that novel was, how will I survive if this doesn’t get published? Or how will I survive if it does get published, but people don’t love this story as much as I do?
Or, really, at the core of it: what if I write this and fail?
“Good” is hard, if not impossible, to measure because it’s tremendously subjective. What’s good to one person is terrible to another. That’s what makes art so incredible! And also terrifying.
Here are some better questions to ask yourself the next time you wonder if your writing is any good:
- Am I enjoying writing this? (If yes, carry on. If no, stop!)
- Is this something I would read? (If yes, carry on. If no, stop!)
- Do I feel there’s more for me to uncover in this story? (If yes, carry on. If no, stop!)
- Am I scared that I’ll fail, embarrass myself, destroy my chances of becoming a writer, etc? (If yes, carry on. If no, still carry on.)
You should always keep writing if you feel connected to your story. It’s ok to wonder if it’s any good! That probably means you care a lot about how other people will receive it because it’s an important story to you.
I was truly in love with the book I was writing. Wondering if it was any good wasn’t a sign that I should throw away 50,000 words and start over. Far from it.
It was a sign that I cared about what I was doing so much I wanted some kind of promise that it was good. Worthy. Important.
You’ll never get that guarantee while you’re in the writing process. As comforting as it might be, it’s an impossible thing to find.
Your writing group and your mom and your best friends can all read your draft and say it’s great, but until you make peace with what you’re really asking, you’ll still wonder.
And, to be clear, I’m not saying you should never put in an effort to grow and improve as a writer.
There’s always a gap between what we want our writing to be, and what it really is. Strive to be better, always.
But don’t discount the fact that what you’re writing right now is valuable as it is.
Don’t quit it because you’ve convinced yourself it’s simply no good. You’re not allowed to make that judgment call; your readers are. And you won’t have any readers if you don’t finish your piece.
So figure out what you’re really asking when you ask if your writing is “good” and make peace with it. Then keep writing. You won’t feel like you’re getting any better if you quit before you see what the finished product looks like.
And trust me, you deserve the chance to see what your completed story or book or collection looks like. So do the people who will read it.