Comparing Yourself to Other Writers: A Sport We Should Retire in the New Year
As we come to the new year, we need to all make a resolution… Every writer compares themselves to others. It’s practically a national pastime. You read a brilliant sentence and briefly consider setting your laptop on fire. You see someone finish a novel and wonder why you’ve been drafting yours since the last Ice Age.
Comparison is natural, but utterly pointless.
It’s not helped by the fact that we, as authors, are asked to consider who our “comp titles” are, which leads to more comparison.
You have different experiences, skills, habits, and obstacles than other writers. They cannot write your stories. You cannot write theirs.
The only fair comparison is who you were yesterday. And yesterday-you would be very impressed with how far you’ve come.