This wisdom courtesy of one of Portland’s many yarnbombers.
It made me think of this good long essay that I’ve been musing on by the poet David Biespiel: Follow Your Strengths, Manage Your Weaknesses, And Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.
I’ll tell you in the typically elliptical fashion I employ here that I’ve been working on a Thing that differs in significant ways from Previous Things I’ve written.
And because the thing is different, I’ve been feeling like I should be different, too; a different kind of writer, with a different approach to writing.
That essay made me realize that while making this Thing work will require me to learn some new skills, it doesn’t mean I should disregard the skills I already have. And if I’m more deliberate about recognizing those skills and how they can move the story forward, it’ll help with the whole making-it-work endeavor.
Does this seem like an incredibly obvious realization? Then I challenge you to do the same with a project that you’re working on. Stop beating yourself up about not being able to X the way Y does, and let yourself enjoy your ability to Z.