I Think I Suck at Writing

Have you ever read someone else’s book and wanted to yack? I know it’s super mean. When reading other people’s books, we should be kind and supportive. It’s what we hope for when people read our work, right? But I can’t help my internal monologue when I read something I really, really don’t like.

I met a person here on Medium and bought a Kindle copy of their book excitedly ready to support them. I even left a five-star review. The problem is. . . I lied. I hated it. It was pretty dull, but worse the actual style of writing made me want to cringe.

Many people who believe that they are good writers actually make my least favorite stories. People tend to believe they are good writers when they use overly stylistic forms of writing. It normally comes with wild vocabulary beyond the average vernacular. The metaphors are overdone. When I’m reading their work, if it feels more like I’m reading it for them, to let them feel like they had their moment to shine and win praise. Reading their content was certainly not for my enjoyment.

Stories that I enjoy are simple. They are conversational. They are comfortable. To me, the best writers are not talented for their style, they are talented for the imaginative stories they tell, and their ability to convincingly express it. If the story is good, it stands on its own. The best writer will simply write enough to make the story understandable and believable. If the story goes too far into an esoteric wonderland, it’s not fun for the reader, it’s just self-indulgent for the writer.

Here on Medium, the vast majority of writers argue that untalented writers are the ones most likely to get traditionally published because bad entertaining writing sells better than talented and eloquent writing. But, what’s so wrong with entertainment? That’s my preferred style of writing for my manuscript.

Oh crap.

That means I suck at writing. . . At least by the standards set out by some eggheads on Medium.

I didn’t study Creative Writing, English or Journalism in college. Is my writing sucky solely because I choose to write a bit more simplistically and conversationally?

Well, if that’s the case so be it. My writing probably sucks for several other different reasons, too. So, I’m going to tell the story anyway. I’ll hope it’s interesting and plot-driven enough to distract people from my own cringey and over-explanatory writing. But, I won’t try to adopt the “I majored in Creative Writing so I know best” kind of style that is taught in schools. We got to get with the times. Simple communication is here to stay since texting and social media was invented. Our stories will have to grow with the times.

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