Poetry, Prose, & Peonies

As a writing community, we are always skeptical of sharing our work with others. This is for many reasons, a lack of confidence, fear of exposing personal thoughts and feelings, but also because there are people who are willing to steal from you. But instead of shutting down and being afraid to share anything, why not combat it by accessing writing communities and enter spaces that help writers feel confident in their own writing?

You don’t have to steal someone else’s idea to be good.

Having confidence in your writing is not easy. It took me a year of constant workshopping before I stopped feeling attacked every time I received critiques.

A lot of people ask me “how do you take critiques without feeling like shit after?” The answer is easy:

Practice.

In first-year, I entered my first professional writing class at the University of Toronto. I was scared. I walked into that class with grade 12 English under my belt. Nothing prepared me for what I would face.

What I learned in that class is; I know nothing. Writing is not done the way they teach in school. The first thing my professor told us on that first day truly shifted my perspective and stuck with me.

“Everything you’ve learned about writing is wrong. I want you to throw out all your preconceived notions. Be wrong. The only way you learn is by doing the wrong thing. This class is a place to make mistakes.”

While my Professor is the reason I fell in love with writing, he is also the reason I feel comfortable receiving edits. I wasn’t afraid to make mistakes because he said this is the place to make mistakes. It’s all in perspective.

Instead of assuming that someone is telling you “you’re wrong,” you could listen to why they warrant the edit.

As with everything in life, writing is littered with mistakes. Hearing verbal confirmation of those mistakes takes a great amount of confidence in your writing. You are the writer. Be confident in your work.

Instead of hearing a critique and getting down on yourself, write it down, go back, and re-work it. The best writers never stop learning new techniques. Sharing how to create good writing is not a scary thing or a sin. We all have different stories and voices. That is what makes us unique. But to tailor your work to the standards you hold yourself to takes courage.

In my How to Start Editing post, I go into detail on how to start editing your own work. It’s a great tool when you’re getting started with your piece.

Use the critiques to refine your work and identify your weaknesses.

We all struggle with presentation. Not every sentence, story, or character will be immaculate. Our gift is drafting. Have a group of friends that are writers? Conduct a weekly workshop session over FaceTime or Zoom. We can build a community together.

As someone who is entering the world of words, I can tell you that community is never more essential than in the writing process. How can we continue to grow and share our brilliance with each other if we can’t lean on one another? Can we advance to the point where everyone’s work is easy to read so we can simply enjoy the stories?

People read your writing because of your voice. They come back because they enjoy the way you present the world you’re building. Don’t hold back your voice. It’s what sets you apart from everyone else.

Stephen King is one of my favourite authors. I’m sure many of you feel the same. But why does the world bow to his pen?

His voice is unique and captures the story.

Never forget that. People continue to read specific authors because of their voice. This means that we enjoy the way they write. But even the great Stephen King drafts his works. Even King had story ideas that never panned out. Even King has people who don’t enjoy his work.

You can’t please everyone. Be satisfied with your work if you think it’s good enough. Keep plugging away, editing, and writing. We are dying to hear the story you’re building.