Put off by intimidation!!!

[Meta4]

Arrgghh! It's a real stumbling block for me at time - the fact that talent which far surpasses my own is out there, the fact that the chances of publication are next to zero, the fact that I'm a non-intellectual wanting to tell a simple fantasy-based story in a world of intellectual realists...

I know that doesn't make much sense, but I'm having one of many "why bother" moments. Please tell me it's worth continuing...? It's the only thing I LOVE doing and feel I can do reasonably well.

You should always do the things you love - money and success are not the goals in fact they're incidental, passion is the reason to keep going.

I agree with what Laurie says.

What you have to say is no less important than other writers, and you don't have to be an intellectual to write.

I can see the difference between writing that I admire, and my own. I use that as a spur to improve my writing.

Keep at it!

Thanks both -you've made me feel better. I lose sight of the fact that it's all about the love of writing and not the success.

I'm home with young children at the moment, and I think the thought of one day returning to work and having some stuffy office job eat up my potential writing time freaks me out - it makes me want success so I can stay home and write!

Lots of writers aren't intellectual and lots of intellectual people can't write for toffee. You must definitely not be put off by that concern.

Also, if there are people out there who you think are more talented than you, maybe they wouldn't have looked that great when they started out and it's hard work they've been putting in rather than raw talent. You have no idea how talented you are until you've done enough work to really make the most of what you've got. The more you practice the more 'talented' you will start to appear. Just keep at it

Lastly, something I read on a writer's blog once - the forest would be a very quiet place if only the sweetest birds ever sang.

Write. Or I will send the writing elves around to smack your bottom! Seriously though - don't be intimidated. There is huge space in the world for all types of writing.

Come on! Nothing can stop you!

And if the writing elves don't smack hard enough, there's always Write Or Die.
(You can use the free online version, you don't need to pay for it.)

LOL at writing elves :)

if you have the passion and resilience to improve keep going
otherwise find another way to pass your time, as you say there is more than enough talent out there

Meta4, I've thought of something else that might help.

You need to have a routine of What To Do When Troubled By Lack Of Confidence, that will become a habit and will get you back into the swing of it.
Mine is that I find a quiet place with my diary (a cafe for preference) and sit down and write a list of reasons why I think I can write - nice things people have said about my writing over the years, bits and pieces I have had published. Even if you don't have many of those you can have 'I am more determined than lots of people'. Once you've written a few novels, even if unpublished, one item on your list can be 'I have actually written 3 novels', bearing in mind that if there are a lot of people who want to write but aren't published, there are many more who want to write but have never actually finished anything.

Whenever I find the pesky lack of confidence seeping in I find a chance to do that and it always leaves me going 'Raaah! Now to get back to my desk!'

I also have a mental image of the world of writers, published and unpublished, as a sort of pyramid, with fewer people on it as you get to each level up. At the bottom are the people who just fancy writing a book but have never actually tried, and at the top are the prizewinners. As I improve my writing I am slowly creeping up it to a level where I will have to compete with fewer people. I don't expect to get right to the top but maybe one day I will get to a level where an agent will be interested. Of course, there's probably a ceiling that I will never get beyond, but I don't have any way of knowing where that ceiling is, and I know I'm not there yet because my writing is getting better.

This is such a supportive thread, especially TunipTheVegedude. Thank you. I don't write much, but want to get a habit going. These reassurances are so helpful. :)

...oh and get a kind soul to get you a subscription to Mslexia....

Thanks to you all for your contributions so far! I shall refer to this thread whenever I come to a creative sticking point. Hopefully it will encourage others too :)

I really need to get back into Mslexia...

YY to Mslexia.

One thing I need to do (because I get stuck often and end up not writing through fear) is morning pages. When I do them (!) I write 3 pages of anything that comes into my head, as soon as I wake up. More often than not it's rubbish and rambling emotional blah, but it sort of 'clears the channels' if you see what I mean.

Good luck :)

Keep going! Bear in mind that EL James is probably one of the worst writers ever committed to print and she's done all right for herself (though admittedly a fluke like that is not going to happen for everyone).
And the market for fantasy fiction is massive and steady-going.

Great thread! I only just started writing, I have no idea what I am doing and was crap at English so am probably in a worse place than you!