The Hardest Part

The hardest part of being a writer, for me anyway, is the self-confidence. I have published two books with an actual publishing house, and I have self-published a book with the help of a sports website I occasionally write for. I've written for dozens of websites, both professionally and as a volunteer. But I seem to always be second guessing my work. It's hard for me to sit back and say, "you know, that's a damn god piece of writing." I'm hardly ever happy with my writing as a finished product.

Self doubt can be paralyzing to a writer; I know this first hand. I am currently working on a project that I am more confident in than anything I have written before--published or not. I have a great storyline, but the problem I am now facing is this: I am beginning to think it is unoriginal.

There has been a gluttonous mass of YA science fiction coming out lately. Especially dystopian stories (think The Hunger Games knock-offs). While I love reading this genre, I was hoping to contribute something new to it, not just add another cheap imitation. I never intended to copy anything, although I do borrow elements from other stories. Nothing major. For example, I took an image from Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 with his dominant wall-televisions as a future form of entertainment. This is certainly not a lynchpin of either of our stories, just a way for me to pay homage to a great. Another work that was certainly an influence in my writing was Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. Mira, my main character, is an intellectual standout at ten years old and is sent to a more advanced school. Think of Ender being sent to Battle School at six years old. They are similarities, but they are not rip-offs.

At least I hope not...

I have worked too hard and put too much thought into this story for it to be unoriginal. But that's the hardest part about writing. I don't have to convince myself. I must convince the reader.