Comparing your writing to that of others can lead to things like self-judgement and jealousy. Either of these things can have a severe impact on your writing, whether you’re blogging or writing a book. Let’s go over some of the most common problems when it comes to comparisons.
As they say, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” What that means is when you’re comparing yourself to others, you’ll often discredit your own development and achievements. Instead of being proud of an accomplishment, you’ll focus too much on why you’re not as good as someone else.
Truth be told, the term “good” is often subjective in the writing world. What one person thinks is good, another will think is trash. So, don’t put too much stock in comparing yourself to someone else.
The Damage of Comparing Your Writing to Others
I can’t stress enough the differences between every writer. We are all unique and have varying skill levels across a massive spectrum when it comes to creation. Some of us are more apt at typing 80 words per minute, while someone else seems to have a flow of consciousness to avoid writer’s block.
Perhaps someone is more apt at research due to having more than a decade of experience.
The point is that you just don’t know the strengths and weaknesses of other writers. So, comparing is quite futile when you take into account all of the factors that come with writing in general.
There are a variety of ways that comparison can hinder your development as a writer. For example, comparing can affect:
Productivity
There are a number of reasons why someone might be able to crank out thousands of words per day, while you struggle with 100. It could be that the author has more free time to spend writing. Perhaps you’re more stressed than the other person, which creates a hurdle for writing.
Also, keep in mind that not all successful authors write more than 2,000 words per day. There is no absolute answer when it comes to being productive. That’s because there are too many variables that can take time away from writing your book or blog post.
For the most part, productivity increases with time spent practicing. Every book and blog post you write helps you build those skills to become faster and more efficient. Being productive is based on a consistent and regular routine of writing.
Knowledge and Skill
Depending on the type of writing you’re diving into, quite a bit of knowledge and skill can make a difference. Even when writing fantasy or something else that is completely fictional, there is more to crafting a good story than simply slapping words on paper.
Skill is something that is acquired over time, and knowledge is a time-based element that improves your flow. It’s easy to be jealous of these two aspects of writing, especially if you’re comparing yourself to someone who has been doing it most of their life.
Both of these are easy to obtain if you put your mind to it. And too many people want the instant upgrade, which is why a lot of them will use AI to write their novels. Authentic writing comes from those who gain knowledge and skill while catering to a specific audience.
Experience
How often do you daydream about having the same success as your favorite author? Daydreams aren’t inherently bad, but nothing will come of them without putting in the effort to improve yourself.
Experience is another one of those aspects that comes with time. While some can fake it until they make it, there’s something to be said about putting in the time needed to gain certain insights.
Luckily, experience is also a trait that you can build on quite easily. However, like most other things in life, it’s going to take time.
Popularity
Some people will start writing books in the hopes that they’ll gain some popularity, which often leads to making more money from sponsors, book deals, or even screenplay deals. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be as much of a household name as someone like Stephen King or Jules Verne?
When you don’t reach those astronomical numbers of book sales from each release, do you find it depressing? Do you look at your work as nothing merely because you’re not as popular as someone else?
Keep in mind that a very small fraction of those writing books make a living from sales. The fact that you published anything puts you in a small minority of writers. You may not be as popular as your favorite author, but you might mean the world to those who know your name.
Book Sales
Lastly, we come to one of the most coveted elements of being an author: making money from books. And to see others boast about income online can be quite disheartening, especially if you feel that you put in just as much effort as anyone else.
Comparing sales is very problematic for those writing books. It takes a lot of legwork, marketing, and networking to make an impact on how many books you sell per month. And not all marketing techniques will work for every author.
The bottom line is that you don’t know what someone is doing or who they know to help get the word out. No one will buy your book if they don’t know it exists. Just posting a link on social media isn’t going to cut it, especially since most social networks don’t prioritize links that take people away from the app.
Instead, Focus On Personal Growth
You should worry less about the successes of others and focus more on developing yourself as a writer. While it’s OK to idolize someone or be a fan of the works of others, your primary goal should be self-improvement.
This can come in a variety of ways, and really depends on what you’re lacking to reach the success you want.
For instance, I spent over a year learning everything I could about AP Style writing and SEO before I was bringing in enough money from content mills to quit my job with the school district. In this instance, I became a successful writer by overcoming a lack of knowledge.
Instead of comparing your writing to others, focus on personal goals, such as:
- Writing more words today than you did yesterday.
- Spending more time learning what you don’t know.
- Relishing in all of your victories, regardless of size, to build confidence.
- Contantly working on becoming the best version of yourself.
- Surpassing your previous “bests.”
These are the steps that turned me into an accomplished writer, self-published author, and successful freelancer. I wasn’t worried about what everyone else could create, only what I could add to the conversation.
Now, I constantly joke about outwriting Stephen King word-for-word each day. He focuses on around 2,000 words per day while writing his books, while I often write 2,000 words before lunch. But there is a stark difference between quality books and blog posts about reviews and tutorials.
It’s a fun point to make, but I don’t seriously compare my writing to that of the master. There is a big difference in styles, audiences, and flow.
In reality, I am only in competition with myself. Will this next book be better than the one before? Can I put in more time to work on my books or blog posts? Am I delivering what my audience wants to read?
Those are the questions that drive me forward.
Are There Positive Types of Comparisons?
Comparing your writing to others doesn’t always have to come with a negative connotation. In fact, there are some ways you can use comparison as a way to improve. It’s not that you’re comparing your success to others, but more of using them as positive elements to further progression and self-improvement.
For instance, you can compare yourself to fuel:
- Inspiration
It’s not that you want to copy someone else’s success, but use your favorite author to inspire you to write and grow. - Motivation
As long as you’re not judging yourself, you can use other writers as a way to motivate your own progression. - A thirst for knowledge
Instead of being jealous of someone’s knowledge or skillset, let them fuel your own desire to know what they know. - Perseverence
Being able to persevere when things go wrong is an admirable trait, and your favorite writers may help you learn ways to do it yourself. - Ambition
Having ambition isn’t a bad thing as long as you don’t take it to the extreme. Other authors can share proper ambitions and how to work with them to achieve your goals.
The most important thing to bear in mind when comparing your writing to others is that it becomes a problem if it leads to jealousy and self-judgement. When you start to feel bad about yourself, that’s when you know you’ve taken it too far.
Be inspired by other writers; don’t judge yourself based on their successes.
You’re Only In Competition With Yourself
Even if you’re entering a writing contest, your primary opponent is yourself. Sure, it would be nice to win a cash prize or something awesome for your efforts against other writers, but you still have to contend with becoming better than the writer you were yesterday.
Comparing your writing skills doesn’t really help you learn to become the best and unique version of yourself for your audience. All it does is pit you against someone who has had a much different life overall.
In other words, getting locked in self-judgement does nothing to help you grow as an author.
Use others as inspiration to help you flourish, not as a way to detract from your successes and personal progression. It doesn’t matter how many books Stephen King can write in a year or how many copies Nora Roberts has sold in the past decade. What matters is what you have done to further yourself as a writer.
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