Am I Good Enough?

This is the question that every writer starts off asking themselves.

And it makes sense. When you’re first starting out you don’t have any feel for yourself as a writer. You’re wondering if people will like what you write. Will they find it engaging? Interesting? Valuable? Are you as good as some of the writers you admire? Are you horrible and just deluding yourself?

But the thing about this question that I have found is that it’s kind of like one of those zen koans. You know, like: What is the sound of one hand clapping? Or: If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

I may be a little rusty on my koans, but the idea is that the answer isn’t straightforward. It may be that there is no answer, it’s only for you to meditate upon and see where it takes you.

That’s kind of how I see the question “Am I good enough?” It’s the writer’s koan.

Because here’s the thing–good enough according to whom? Or to what standards? Good enough in terms of sales or awards or whether or not you have an agent and a publisher or have really good reviews from important sources? Good enough in terms of how much readers like your books? Whether or not people actually read to the end? Whether it gets turned into a movie?

I could go on with the questions, but the point is is that what constitutes good enough and who decides it is not easy to answer. Maybe it’s an answer that doesn’t really exist.

And maybe that’s the whole point.

Maybe it’s just a jumping off point for you to get to know yourself and your writing a little better. To consider why you do this and what you might be looking to get from it.

Maybe you’re already good enough or maybe you’ll never be good enough.

Maybe the answer is only in the mind of the questioner.

Photo by Hello I’m Nik on Unsplash

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Amanda Linehan is the author of North, about a young woman on the run from her past, the law and an old adversary out to get her. Her newest release is Bored To Death: A Vampire Thriller, about a 300-year-old vampire trying to restore the balance between life and death. She has published five novels. Get a free short story every month when you sign up for her newsletter.