Sometimes I feel so frustrated when writing. It’s my favourite thing to do, yet it can leave me gritting my teeth and tearing my hair out (not literally, but quite close). The reason for this is often the same: everyone is a writer nowadays. With how easy communication has become, practically anyone can write and publish their thoughts and ideas, whether it’s on a blog or in a book. And because of my aspirations to be a successful published author, I feel quite uneasy stepping into the world of writing, because I can’t help but compare myself to others.

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Looking back isn’t much more comforting than looking ahead. The world of literature, needless to say, has set the bar quite high. As a child, I used to love reading Harry Potter. I still love it, of course, but now I find myself wondering how I’ll ever compare. When the time comes to create new content, my mind wanders to books already written, and I wonder how I’ll come up with something refreshing that people will want to read. At times, every passing minute feels like a lost opportunity to write something new and publish it quick before someone else.

Of course, I’m not saying that everything ever written is a literary masterpiece (my grocery lists certainly aren’t). I’m also not asserting that the people being recognised for their talents today don’t deserve it; they certainly do. I don’t resent people for seizing their chance and getting their ideas down on paper (or blog). It just becomes increasingly difficult for me (personally) to keep the words flowing out of my pen when I feel like I’m competing against the whole world. I don’t think that being an author is about competition, or about screaming to get your voice heard over others. But with every other person looking towards the same goal as me, it feels a little bit like that.