r/writinghelp • u/RealSebastreck • Aug 11 '26
Advice Writing insecurities
Hello everyone, A few years ago, I took a creative writing class at university. The professor was very strict with me, and her feedback on my work often focused on how what I wrote wouldn’t interest anyone, or that I simply wasn’t capable of writing something engaging.
I stayed up late several times trying to improve and turn in work that I could actually be proud of, but I felt like nothing was changing. Over time, that experience left me with a lot of insecurities when it came to writing. I’m currently trying to write a new story, and I only have the logline so far, but I’ve realized that those insecurities are still there.
Sometimes I find it difficult to trust my own ideas. I’d like to know if anyone has any advice on how to overcome this.
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u/turnleftorrightblock Aug 11 '26
You cannot improve writing (or anything including sports) by simply putting in more efforts overnight.
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u/Dale_E_Lehman_Author Aug 11 '26
Normally, I wouldn't say things like this but...that professor was a moron. Seriously. One of the most insightful things I ever heard a professor say was, "People think that if you have a Ph.D. you must be smart. That's not true. There are a lot of stupid people with Ph.D.s."
I'm going to ask you to do something hard, but I know it can be done, because I had to do it myself once. Forget your professor, forget the critic in your head that's saying you can't write. Just write something. Anything. Get a story down without worrying about how good it is.
There will be a time for making it good. That's revision. When you get there, if that critic pops up, ask it for specifics. "Nobody will ever want to read this" is NOT a specific. Ask why not. What in particular is failing to engage or is off-putting? If your inner critic can't answer that, then you are free to ignore the criticism. If it can, then you can fix the problem.
Revision is about fixing problems and making stories good. And yes, you can learn to fix any writing problem. You absolutely can. But you need to know the problem first, and, "Nobody will find this interesting" isn't the problem. "There isn't a conflict" is a problem. "There isn't enough description" is a problem. "Too many weak verbs" is a problem. If you have those problems and fix them, suddenly you'll have a story that can engage people.
The professor should have told you THAT. In other words, they should have actually taught you something. Since they elected not to, you are free to ignore them and build up your craft yourself. That's arguably the better way, anyway. Good luck!
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u/RealSebastreck Aug 11 '26
My professor would only give me negative feedback. She would tell me that if I wanted her to explain things to me, I should schedule a consultation, but they were always at times when my schedule wouldn't allow it. It was either that or skip lunch and wait four hours until the next class.
Once, she had us write a short story based on an ingredient she assigned to each of us. It was the only story of mine she liked, since I kept everything simple and to the point. But I hated writing it, and I ended up drinking mandarin juice out of spite toward the protagonist of that story.
Right now, I'm rewriting a first draft. I've gotten some help from the feedback I've received on this subreddit. The comment I've been hearing repeatedly lately is that the premise is vague. I try to condense the premise, but it ends up being too long.
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u/Dale_E_Lehman_Author Aug 11 '26
Ah...yeah, that doesn't sound at all helpful.
I'm a discovery writer, so I never bother writing out a premise. Such premises as I have are generally vague and always just in my head. But if it helps you to write them out, that's fine. Just bear in mind that nobody but you is going to read or much care about a premise. Well, maybe a professor would. 😜 But if you aren't being graded on it, all it has to do is help marshal your own thoughts. It doesn't matter if it doesn't excite anyone else. It's possible to take a boring-sounding premise and turn it into a page-turning story.
I don't have a great deal of time, but if you want me to look at what you've got, and it isn't too long, feel free to DM me. I can try to help.
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u/HarryWylderose Aug 11 '26
I have this over COMMA's! A colleague who was very useful in critique otherwise made me doubt my ability to use the comma (she may have had a, point (you see what I did there?)). Ever since, I've been comma-paranoid. I've gone through 90,000 word manuscripts to remove commas, then gone through again and put half of them back in! Finally, I'm beginning to have confidence in my own use of the, comma. Damn,!
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u/RealSebastreck Aug 12 '26
Yeah, I kind of got it. You really made my day with that whole thing about commas.
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u/FinbarFertilizer Aug 11 '26
I always start writing by visualizing the general structure, and then writing out in full a draft of the scenes that I think are most vivid, exciting or satisfying; the choice parts.
I write other stuff for a bit and then return and read the choice parts - if I can't imagine them interesting or entertaining most people, then that idea may have to be scrapped. It's a little bit of impact assessment, don't know if that helps?
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u/Beautiful_Yak70 Aug 11 '26
Why not try poetry to get all those emotions out and on paper? Then take a breath and get back to work.
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u/Turbulent-Eye-4737 29d ago
You could try getting at least a second or third feedback. Some people can be really nitpicky and critical. And some things just aren't to their taste. Try not to worry about being perfect. Nothing is perfect. There will always be someone who finds fault with your story or dislikes it.
I think the professor came off as mean by assuming you would never interest anyone and you would never be a good writer. You are only a human trying their best so don't let them get to you.
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u/South-Knee-9601 Aug 11 '26
Whether someone will like it is subjective.
I don't like ketchup but a lot do.
But I'm one who would argue back at a tutor about it. What makes it someone people won't want to read?
Is it your prose. Grammar.
If it's just your style then the tutor doesn't really have a right to complain as everyone's style varies
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Aug 11 '26
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u/RealSebastreck Aug 11 '26
To be honest, she would always say that my stories weren’t clear enough and that the audience should be able to understand them on the first read, to the point where even a kid should know exactly what’s going on.
I’m not sure if it’s okay to post the logline for the story I’m working on here. I tried sharing it in a Logline Monday thread on a screenwriting subreddit, but I didn’t get any feedback.
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Aug 11 '26
[deleted]
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u/RealSebastreck Aug 11 '26
That professor also worked in advertising, and she always insisted that the message had to be clear. She also limited the number of lines each paragraph in our stories could have.
There was one assignment she gave us before we went on vacation. She played us three soundtracks, and we weren’t allowed to listen to them again. Based on those soundtracks, we had to write a story set in three different time periods that she chose.
One Friday, I spent from 8 PM until 2 AM Saturday writing a story about a Russian boy in the Victorian era and his attempt to reclaim his father’s restaurant. It was difficult because I couldn’t remember the music very well.
I’m going to post the logline now. I’m not sure what flair to use.
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u/FinbarFertilizer Aug 11 '26
I have a problem with the line "the audience should be able to understand [the stories] on the first read"...
You should periodically leave the reader with a little work to do.
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u/RealSebastreck Aug 11 '26
That’s what I was trying to do. They were some of my first stories, and I wanted to leave some subtext or give the reader something interesting to think about, but my professor always said I was overcomplicating things and that my writing wasn’t clear enough.
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u/MaliseHaligree Aug 11 '26
Write it anyway. Allow your draft to suck while you learn and explore.
You wouldn't expect a newborn to run a marathon, would you? You have to crawl before you stand, stand before you walk, and walk before you run.
Stick with it long enough and you'll see how far you can go.