Whenever you read other people's work, what do you think of them? Do you just enjoy them? Or do you analyze them and compare them to your own?
It's easy to compare others' writing to our own. We look at how they describe their settings, characters, and the events around them. We note their worldbuilding or plot. If it's nonfiction, we would examine the choice of wording and how the author discusses the topic using facts and citations.
In this blog, I'll explain why comparing yourself to others can be a good thing and a bad thing.
Pros
It helps you to learn from other writers.
It helps you to recognize different types of style and how the other writers portray their characters. If the piece is nonfiction, it helps you to understand why the topic they're talking about is popular.
It helps you see the good in your own work.
Don't look at this as a competition but more as something that helps you learn about your work's strengths. Maybe your writing and the other person's writing have similar elements. It's important to see the good in two or more works and their differences in creativity.
Cons
It gives you self-doubt.
You may not have enough confidence in your work simply because of the work of other writers. You may be intimidated by their style and wonder how they write that way. This may also lead to depression and make you want to give up on your own craft.
It can result in envy.
Envy causes you to become bitter towards others and be ungrateful for what you already have. Whatever good things you have, be content with it because other people don't have what you have. That's not something to brag about. That's something to be thankful for.
It can create competition.
Envy can lead to competition, causing tension between you and the other writer. If it's not a writing competition, then there's no need to come off as super competitive. Also, instead of competing with the writer, why not collaborate with them? Maybe you can compare your ideas together and create a masterpiece. The writing community is supposed to be full of support, not discord.
It can lead to pride.
If you see others' work and think yours is better than theirs, you don't want to get a big head. Just be proud of your own work, but don't rub it in. Confidence is key, but so is humility.
Conclusion
Comparing yourself to others can have some benefits as well as some costs. It's a good way to grow and to be proud of your own writing,. But it's also a way to doubt yourself, become depressed, envy others, become overly competitive and become puffed up. But no matter how self-comparison may affect you, keep writing and never give up. Remember why you started in the first place.
I want to end this article with a Bible passage:
Galatians 6:4-6 says:
4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct. 6 Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.
At the end of the day, we should focus on our own work instead of others' because that's what's most important when it comes to writing: our own writing. God gave us this gift, so let's use it to the best of our abilities.
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