Every time I write, I think, “this sucks. When the hell am I going to get better?” Over the years, that question has just gotten underlined and highlighted. I think I’ll ask it once or twice a writing session, especially more when I am revising or editing. It drives me insane. But, the thing is, writers are blind to progress.

Writers, artists, and people in general improve over time. The worst part is that it’s exponential when it’s a skill. So, when a writer looks at their writing, sometimes it’s literally impossible to see the improvement that has happened over time. This happens to me all the time. The thing is, it’s because our visions tend to be very narrow. We don’t have minds that keep years in scope. We look at the now. Maybe we look a day ahead or a day behind. The rest are memories, but never quite good. However, the cool thing about writers is that they have work they can always go back to, so look back and check the work. You’ll see. You’ve gotten better.

Still, it’s very hard to see improvement over time even if it’s happening, and it’s not just because it’s so little over a long period of time. I think it stems from the fact that all writers are readers. We love books so much that we have to make them ourselves. So, writers tend to have a refine taste for books (and this is worsened if the writer takes a creative writing course or something similar). To make it even worse, the more a writer writes, the more that taste becomes narrower. That’s why writers have little patience for bad writing. They’ll spot it a mile away and burn it with fire. So when a writer writes, their tastes for writing tends to be much higher than their actual performance as a writer since, well, the writer has read more than written. It’s only natural.

I’m not saying that every writer is the same. Some are different. I guess some are mature enough not to let the intrusive thoughts get the better of them. They’ll overcome their issues and just write. But, this is still true to me. I always have a hard time seeing how I’ve improved. Heck, sometimes I feel as if I’ve gotten worse. But, I just have to remember what I’ve said. There’s no reason to be discouraged. It’s okay if you can’t see the improvement. Others can see, and we’re all proud!