So guys, I gotta say something–
I have seen an increase of muns making ooc posts about wanting to delete their blogs, comparing themselves to other portrayals, feeling anxious or insecure about their writing and dealing with general depression and anxieties and… It really hurts to see that.
It hurts me because I don’t see crappy portrayals or a distinct difference in what is perceived as Quality™. What I see are writers coming together to build and create stories and expand on these muses we write for. I see the passion for writing that is weighed down so heavily by our own selves because we do not allow ourselves to see what others see within us.
I’m not the best with my words. How I write my muse is very cut and dry at times. He doesn’t write with a floral, pretty style that I’ve seen my writing partners have and at times I do get a little jealous of the fact they’re so goddamn talented and then here’s me all ‘he went forward and got there.’
Truth is, if our writing partners didn’t get fulfillment and joy out of our work, they wouldn’t write with us. I’ve had 96 active threads at a time and I’ve had 2. Our quality isn’t based on our popularity or how well we write, it’s how we tell our muses story.
We are simply too hard on ourselves. And no, it’s not something you can just shut off, it takes practice and it takes effort. Real, genuine effort. Stop getting wrapped up in comparison because at the end of the day, even if you could write as well as this other muse, it’s not your writing but an attempt to replicate something that is not signature to you.
Ya’ll are talented af. I have friends on my Facebook feed who can’t write three words without misspelling something and it’s not because they’re impaired it’s because they just simple don’t want to improve. And that’s the amazing thing about writing is that you can absolutely improve upon it. Read tips and lessons. Look up some apps on your phone or the computer to better your talents and skill. Switch from past tense to present tense for a while. I can tell you that my writing drastically changes when I shift from one to the other.
We waste valuable writing time letting anxiety beat ourselves up about not writing anything special and eventually that leads to us not ever writing at all. Be kind to yourself and give yourself permission to write badly.
We have to stop this whole letting comparison beat ourselves down. Embrace your strengths and develop your weak points. RP is supposed to be fun, yes, but it’s only fun if you allow yourself the chance to write what you perceive as garbage now, so you can learn and grow from it.
As I said earlier, ya’ll are talented af. I hope this helps all of you who are struggling see that. 💙
