This isn't really a query, more an encouragement.
There have been a number of questions recently from those concerned that their writing's not good enough, for some reason. I think we probably all suffer from that doubt.
The usual, and best, advice is to keep on writing, so when I came across this quote today from Theodore Roosevelt, particularly apt for all who write, I thought I'd reproduce it here.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions . . . who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Keep the faith, chaps :)
As always, Jonathan, you (pardon the cliche!) hit the nail right on the head!
Sarah, I'm with you today. I'm asking myself the exact same question. I'm ashamed to admit this - but I'm on the 16th draft of a short story. It's only 2,000 words! I've left it, come back to it, thought 'right, that's it - final print out, I'm sending it off tomorrow'. Then I look at it the next day, and know it's not good enough, so I tweak it some more. I've spent so much time on it now, that I feel I must do something with it. I've had some negative feedback. People have said it's not my usual style, and they're surprised I've written it. Then there's the positive feedback, which keeps me going: 'It's very atmospheric', 'You describe the cold very well', 'I was not expecting that outcome, at all' 'It's a very interesting idea'. I'm feeling too vulnerable to reveal what the negatives comments were ... but you can imagine. I go on Facebook to escape the hell of it all, only to read about other people's literary successes! Not only that, everyone seems to be having full and exciting lives, despite devotion to their work: public readings, trips to India, writing courses, networking, book launches, mentoring packages, and of course the photographic evidence to accompany all this. Me? I'm a wreck! I desperately need a decent haircut, the house is even more desperate for a clean, I'm neglecting my friends and family, and I've been living on cheese sandwiches most of the week! I wouldn't mind... if only I had produced a work of outstanding skill and originality at the end of it!!!!!!! Graham Greene said 'Writing has its own particular forms of hell.' Too right, it does! But Greene seemed to survive it OK, didn't he? And yes, S W (above) - it's certainly a back-scratching society. If one is well practised in the art of sycophancy and self-promotion, I'm sure it must be so much easier... And thank you Jonathan, I will try REALLY hard not to join those ranks of 'cold and timid souls' !!!
Zen Pencils did a great rendition of that speech - see here http://zenpencils.com/comic/theodore-roosevelt-the-man-in-the-arena/
Inspiring and true!