Arrogance has gotten a bad rap. When someone is seen as arrogant, the connotations that go along with that moniker are almost always negative. In a lot of cases, that negativity is deserved. Those cases are usually when someone pipes up about something about which they know nothing, or regarding an activity they've never done but claim to be expert at.
However, regarding our profession - or any profession, really - arrogance is a trait that is necessary to achieve success. Think about the brass tacks it takes to believe you have what it takes to play football better than anyone else on the planet. Or that you are the person who is best to lead the country. Or that you have what it takes to tell a story that lots of people will not only love, but will pay good money for...
When it comes to writing, that's what we're basically saying - we're so good at telling a story that audiences will sit enraptured by our tale. It's necessary for us to put our work out there and market it so that other people will fork over their hard earned cash for it. Yes, I know that many writers are pretty insecure when it comes to their stories, but folks simply won't be successful if we sit on our insecurities and don't try to get other people to buy them.
Think for a moment about authors like Stephen King or JK Rowling. Do you have any doubt that they honestly believe they can tell a horror story or spin a tale about a wizard and world of magic better than anyone on the planet? I know what you're saying, that they actually can write those tales better than anyone, so that level of arrogance is justified, but that doesn't mean that it's not arrogance. Reaching the top of the profession requires it.
This doesn't mean you don't go out and try to improve your craft, or that you're unwilling to take honest criticism. It means that when you write a story, you have to believe it to be so good that people will want to spend time reading it. If you don't believe that, why are you even writing?
However, regarding our profession - or any profession, really - arrogance is a trait that is necessary to achieve success. Think about the brass tacks it takes to believe you have what it takes to play football better than anyone else on the planet. Or that you are the person who is best to lead the country. Or that you have what it takes to tell a story that lots of people will not only love, but will pay good money for...
When it comes to writing, that's what we're basically saying - we're so good at telling a story that audiences will sit enraptured by our tale. It's necessary for us to put our work out there and market it so that other people will fork over their hard earned cash for it. Yes, I know that many writers are pretty insecure when it comes to their stories, but folks simply won't be successful if we sit on our insecurities and don't try to get other people to buy them.
Think for a moment about authors like Stephen King or JK Rowling. Do you have any doubt that they honestly believe they can tell a horror story or spin a tale about a wizard and world of magic better than anyone on the planet? I know what you're saying, that they actually can write those tales better than anyone, so that level of arrogance is justified, but that doesn't mean that it's not arrogance. Reaching the top of the profession requires it.
This doesn't mean you don't go out and try to improve your craft, or that you're unwilling to take honest criticism. It means that when you write a story, you have to believe it to be so good that people will want to spend time reading it. If you don't believe that, why are you even writing?
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