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Prompt Week Day Two: Write Words Write Words Write Words

Added 2024-09-17 06:39:53 +0000 UTC

Sometimes everything you write is golden.
Sometimes everything you write is trash.

There is a third option, though:

Sometimes you think everything you write is trash because you’ve gone through a period of learning and can now recognise your own weaknesses. This is one of the most important stages of growth, so if you think everything you write is trash, it might be a sign that you’re actually getting somewhere.

Many of you are sitting with writer’s block right now. Some of you are disheartened because you’ve spotted weaknesses you didn’t know existed two months ago. This is a positive step. It doesn’t feel like progress, but it is. You cannot grow until you know what kind of growth you need.

You’ve probably seen me speak about Dunning-Kruger effect in my kink writing, but I’ll break it down for you here just in case. Dunning-Kruger is a cognitive bias. Researchers found that people with limited skills overestimate those skills and people with exceptional skills underestimate those skills. It’s an inherently human trait. It happens to all of us in all areas of life. The more you think you know, the less you know. The less you think you know, the more you know.

You can only know how little you know if you know how far you still have to go.

If you don’t know how little you know, your ego might feel pretty, but your work might not.

Learning to write is a mindfuck. You will encounter a new stage of Dunning-Kruger effect every time you learn something about writing. If you think your work is terrible, it might mean your confidence is ailing, but it might mean you’ve learned something.

There are two ways to get over the hump:

To stop writing.
To keep writing.

If you stop writing, you won’t have the opportunity to confront your fear or prove to yourself that lessons can mean growth. The less you write, the more your fear grows, so put words on paper. In the words of a writer friend, “Write words, write words, write words.”

You don’t have to feel inspired in order to write words. Nor do those words need to be special. Keep your momentum. Don’t allow Dunning-Kruger to silence you.