Y is for YARDSTICK

I switched days again.  This is Saturday’s post.  I just needed some time to think about this one, the yardstick I have in mind is a personal one.

            I think you’ll know what I mean.  In every career endeavor made, one is bound to compare themselves to other successful examples.  In writing, you look up to other great authors.

            This is okay to do at first, it’s good to get feedback and not reinvent the wheel when you’re starting out.  However, it’s important not to take that search for knowledge too far.

            You want to grow as a writer, not as a clone.

            And I’ve learned that when you look too closely at what makes a good writer, you aren’t allowing yourself to be a good writer.  It’s a hard lesson, albeit an important one. Writers are like snowflakes; each having different styles, different goals.  You’ll never be exactly like someone else, and that’s a good thing.

            I think of the famous quote by Oscar Wilde,

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” 

            You’re encouraged to learn the rules, to follow the example of the greats, but in application, follow your own path.

            In the end, measure your accomplishments against your own yardstick.     

           

            Are we down to our last letter, already? 

Please come back tomorrow—Z is for ZOOM IN, ZOOM OUT

-SNG