I have a lot of respect for you for asking that question. Partly because it's a difficult question to grapple, but mostly because, more than that, it's an even more difficult question to ask. Unfortunately, there's only one answer to it: Man up and write anyway. This isn't just about Hanako fanfiction. It's not even only about writing period. It's about anything you'll ever want to do, because the sad, cold truth about life is that whatever it is you want to do, there will always be somebody out there who can do whatever it is you're aiming to achieve better. But you know what? Fuck them. That's not to say you shouldn't give them credit where their credit is due. In fact, you should respect them for a job well done. It is saying that no matter how many people you see out there who you think are kicking your ass and leaving you lying out in a ditch on the side of the interstate, you get back on your feet and say, "That's good. I can't do that yet. But Goddammit, I'm going to give it everything I've got anyway." And then you do.Brogurt wrote:Asking for advice.
There's plenty of advice people can give you to become a better writer, but this isn't a writing problem. This one is all on you. And it's a bitch of a lesson. I wish I could say it was one that clicks and suddenly sinks in. I wish it was one that, after this thread, you never have to ask yourself again. It's not. You and everybody else here are going to be grappling with it the rest of your life, with anything and everything you dedicate yourself to. If you're questioning whether there's somebody out there that can write a better story than you can, don't bother thinking too hard on it--there is. But who cares? I've read some of your work. I liked it. You have what it takes to write a good story. Will it be the best on the site? I don't know. I don't even know how you would begin to measure that, if you even could. But if you could measure it, it still wouldn't matter. The only question you should ask yourself when writing is, "Did I give it absolutely everything I had to give when I wrote this story?" If you did, you succeeded, regardless of who else wrote some other fic on the site. Don't compare your worth to theirs. That's irrelevant. Just man up and write. If you gave it your all, you'll tell a good story. That's the only thing that matters.
I'm not saying don't read other people's stories. I'm not even saying don't compare your writing to theirs. You should. If you see a story that you think totally kicked your ass, read the Hell out of it. In fact, it should be at the top of your reading list. See what worked for them--see why their story was so good. Also look to see what didn't work. You can learn from their writing--sometimes lessons that you wouldn't have learned from your own. Do you think their story is better? Doesn't matter. Take what you learned from their story and make yours better. You may never be the best. I don't know if anybody ever will. But that doesn't stop you from being awesome. So man up and put your pen to paper. It's all on you from here on out.
