Every writer I know can identify with the following:
I was only halfway through Stuart Dybek’s I Sailed with Magellan when I decided I should just give up on writing altogether; that the intimacy he achieves with childhood and adolescence was more than I could ever imagine accomplishing, and I wanted to leave it to him, a far more lyric, braver writer than I would ever be. At these humbling moments, I remember advice I received from Dan Chaon while studying fiction at Oberlin.
That’s from “Becoming a Mapbuilder” by Danielle Lazarin (@d_lazarin). The advice she received from Chaon? There’s a very specific world that only you can write about. Click here to read her entire column over at Glimmer Train.
You can also find the following at their new bulletin:
- Oh, The Mistakes I’ve Made and The Wonders to Howl About by Stefanie Freele, which includes 4 mistakes and 4 magnificent things that surprised her about the writing and publishing world.
- Looking Back by Andrew Porter, on not being quick to discount your early work.
- Click here to view the entire Glimmer Train bulletin.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
Wow–I needed that. I’ve put so many manuscripts aside because of that exact issue. Perhaps this weekend is the time to dig ’em out!
So true that we can all relate to the sentiment. But it’s all subjective. Whenever I read Russell Banks, for example, or William Styron or Toni Morrison, or or or . . . I think I should just pack it in. But I’m who I am, and I write as I write, and all I can do is turn to their work for inspiration to write ever better. . . .Besides, it’s all relative. Snooky is publishing her autobiography. Need I say more?
I love her way of looking at it. Reading great writers used to be intimidating, but I now think of it as an exercise in learning the craft (and in humility, of course!).
For me, it was Robert Graves. The only reason I’ve managed to forge a career is that I long ago resigned myself to my inferiority.
Not sure where I stand on this as I tend to approach writing from a different perspective.
Yes, for sure I’ve read plenty of authors who leave me dumbstruck and of course one should always seek to improve with each book. However, I long ago accepted that I will never win a Booker Prize (or any prize for that matter) and the truth is that as someone who earns their living from their writing, given that it is my readers who pay the bills they must always come first.
So as long as they’re happy with what I’m producing (and they certainly seem to be!) then that’ll do for me.
It’s mostly a matter of perspective. Even the greats considered their own work to be rubbish at times. I read somewhere that Henry James thought of himself as a failure.
For me, this feeling hit me hard as I stood in the middle of a local book super-store. Why on Earth, I asked myself, do I think my work should or could make it onto these already crowded shelves.And, to drive the stake in further, even if I DID who would ever find me amongst the millions? I was deflated by that nasty inner voice, lol! Yes I carry my own worst critic with me! I never knew other people felt that way, too. Love this post!
Great writing (subjective in itself) is a stepping stone. Step on it, and move forward.
okay, I may never write like Stuart Dybek, but then, he’ll never write like me.
Danielle’s column was full of insight and wisdom.. Thanks for sharing it!