Want to Be a Writer?

You better get some thicker skin

Image by Markus Winkler from Pixabay

I frequently see writers on Medium and other places expressing their anxiety over finding readers, wondering why they don’t get more claps, or feeling insulted because they can’t even get their own partner to read what they write. I say this not to be mean, but because it’s a fact: Even your own friends and family may not want to read your writing. It’s not unusual and it’s not just you. It’s just part of being a writer.

Being a writer — or any kind of artist — means you have to have to have a thick skin, because people will give their reviews, opinions and criticisms of your work, and not everyone is going to be complimentary or even nice. But that’s what being an artist is all about — putting your neck out and presenting your outlook on the world — the music in your head, the words in your heart or what you see when you look out on a landscape. Some people will absolutely vibe with what you’re doing. Some absolutely won’t.

It’s okay.

You also have to learn to when criticism of your writing is valuable, and when someone is stating a preference about your writing. Just because someone doesn’t like something you’ve written doesn’t mean what you’ve written is bad. It just means it’s not suited to that person’s taste, and people’s tastes in writing is as broad as people’s taste in…