Spyke

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keepwriting·Keep WritingbyCaspianXI

"You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it."

You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.

-- Octavia E. Butler

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tiramichu
lemm.ee

One way to think of it is the stages of competence.

  1. Unconscious Incompetence - You're bad at it, but you haven't learnt enough to yet see you are bad
  2. Conscious Incompetence - You are bad at it, and now actually understand you're bad at it!
  3. Conscious Competence - You're getting better, but only because you're really applying your skills hard and putting in effort
  4. Unconscious Competence - You're good at it, and being good comes easily

2-3 is the low point where people tend to give up, because you go from that euphoria of being a new writer where you are cranking work out so fast and easily to the depths of self-loathing where even 1 page feels like a huge effort.

I feel it, because I'm there.

But this progression of skill applies to a lot of things in life other than writing. I work in IT and I've seen it there in myself and in others, so I know if I keep going then maybe one day 4 can be a reality :)

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CaspianXIreply
lemmy.world

I love this way of looking at it. My first novel was crap -- I just didn't know it.

But the only way to advance through the levels is to write.

Keep writing!

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"You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it." | Spyke