To be surrounded by people who share your dream can be validating. It proves that you are not alone on your journey. You can commiserate with your fellow writers and learn from each other, maybe share secrets of success. You can also count on them to read your work and give you honest feedback, and by returning the favor you can learn from their writing.
But how do you stand out in a crowd of writers all vying for the public’s attention. We all want our work to be recognized to prove that all of our hard work hasn’t been for nothing. That we are in fact a good writer, maybe even a great writer.
As you sit at your desk reading a colleagues work and realizing you don’t have much feedback to give because their story is good, so good that you might question your own work. Will your writing ever be this good? How will your stories stand out next to this one?
There will always be someone who is better than you. It is better to accept that now and stop comparing yourself to other writers no matter how much you want to. It will only scare you and shake your resolve. But as long as writing is the only thing you can imagine doing then you shouldn’t give it up.
Instead as you read that story that might be better than yours learn from it. What makes it better? Why do you like it so much? How can that knowledge improve your own story? Ask that writer to read your own story and see what they might suggest to improve it.
Don’t compare your first draft to their fourth draft. They went through several stages of revision to get their story to this point and you will too. Then you’ll give your work to someone to read and they too will wonder how do I get my work this good?
Once your writing is ready you will find a niche for your story where it can stand out and shine. Don’t worry about standing out above the rest because readers love many different stories. Instead stand out with the rest and your story will have its chance to shine.
