I grew up surrounded by people telling me I was a skilled writer. A good writer. I’m still not sure I believe it. What I wish at least one of these people had prepared me for was the reality that no matter how good you may be at something, there will always be someone better than you.
And it doesn’t even stop there. Yes, there will always be someone better at writing than you are (no matter how hard you might try to be the “best”). But there will also always be someone with better connections than you. More money than you. A wider appeal than you. More luck than you.
And there isn’t much you can do about it.
Why You’ll Never Be the Best
I know, I know — you WANT to be the best writer of your generation. We all do. And I’m not saying that with years of practice, knowing the right people, and stumbling on a little luck won’t allow you to achieve great things as a writer. You will no doubt accomplish a lot, even if it isn’t exactly the writing path you originally intended.
But you may never be the “best” at what you do. Of absolutely no fault of your own! It’s not just about skill, or how captivating and unique your voice and story are, and how quickly and effectively you can captivate an audience on and off the page. The simple fact is that there is no “best.” Not only will there always be someone better than you, but there simply is no one writer who will ever stand above the rest for all time. There are many great writers. There are many great writers who have yet to be known. Perhaps you’re bound to be one of them. But that’s just it — you will probably always be among the greats, if that, and never a step above that level.
It’s not you. It’s life. It’s reality. You’re not going to like what I have to say next, but it’s going to serve you well in the long run: While you may never be THE best, you can absolutely be YOUR best.
The Best Writer You Can Be
Writers are very prone to comparing themselves to other writers. We are all guilty of it. And while aspiring to be like your favorite writers can sometimes serve as a motivator, it becomes less effective when you start to look at everyone else’s writing journey and wonder why yours can’t be “the same.”
Of course it’s not the same! Because you’re not the same writer as someone else. You don’t write the same stories, you don’t share identical life experiences. You are unique. Therefore, so is your writing journey.
All this really means is that if you want to be the best writer you can be, your main focus should be on achieving your own writing goals in your own time. Writing what makes you feel alive. Doing it not because someone else is, but because it fulfills you. Your best IS good enough, even when it doesn’t feel that way. It’s not about being better than someone else. It’s about being a better writer today than you were yesterday.
That is something achieved by many things all at once. Persistence. Resilience. Work. Over time, you can figure out the rituals and parameters that make writing not just possible, but rewarding as well.
You can be the best writer you’ve ever been just by doing it. This is not an easy road, but unlike trying to be the best of all time, it’s not an impossible feat.
Meg Dowell is the creator of Brain Rush, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words, and Not a Book Hoarder, celebrating books of all kinds. She is an editor, writer, book reviewer, podcaster, and photographer passionate about stories and how they get made. Learn more
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