It’s been a busy week.
No kidding, right? You caught my work rant. You know.
What this means, however, is that I got just a tad behind in my internet life. I’m working on the big catchup right now while waiting for the man to come out of surgery.
Here’s something that you should be aware of if you are not: Maggie Stievater’s post on self-confidence.. Hmmm, I see from the 109 comments currently that you may already be aware.
What I like about reading Maggie’s journal is her positive, upbeat optimistic nature. There are several things in her post that I could relate to, and rather than write a treatise in her comments, it’s made me think a little bit more.
I am a good writer. If I make that statement without qualification, you could assume my ego is huge, but if I qualify it, you might decide I am merely self-confident.
Honestly, writing for me is largely by feel. Yes, I’ve taken classes and writing workshops, so my technique is solid. I took about a year of graduate level creative writing classes before the technical writing guys at Iowa State University seduced me away to their program, but that year has served me well. Foundations are important, and I believe every writer should take workshops. Until the point where they know they’ve had enough. And you’ll know.
However, I often feel what to do with my work. It is no substitute for revision and craft, but knowing I have been blessed with talent helps me feel confident. Bolstering it with technique makes me feel much more confident.
Notice that I said blessed with talent. My take on talent is that we are lucky to get it. It’s hard to be egotistical if you realize that it’s a gift. You earn technique, but you don’t earn talent. I can polish my talent and use it better, but I can’t take credit for it. So it’s easy to avoid ego, and feel joy in the talent itself.
If we are blessed with an ability, we probably should find a way to use it. How do you know? In my case, I feel natural when I write and off when I don’t. It energizes me, rather than saps me. It’s hard not to feel confident when you’re doing something that feels such an extension of yourself.
I guess the underlying message here is that writing should make you happy, and that will make you more confident. If people sense you’re doing what you enjoy, they respond better to you as well.
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Another thing that Maggie suggested in her post was that you should surround yourself with cool people, and you will be the person you want to be.
Here’s a story. When I was about seven, my parents threw a party. There was an absolutely fascinating woman there, and I’ve never seen her since this party, but she was telling people in conversation about all the places she’d been and all the things she’d seen, and I was fascinated. All I could figure was I wanted to be her, and eventually, as I left my stunted childhood and went to college, I did everything I could to become like that.
I went to other countries, pursued hobbies, learned languages, and practiced a variety of things until I became fairly skilled. I also learned to surround myself with very interesting and upbeat people.
People who are confident in themselves are a great way to feel more confident in yourself. It is one of the great joys of my life to introduce my interesting friends to other interesting friends. Positivism and self-confidence are reinforced in this venue.
I don’t think self-confidence can get you published or an agent, or anything. I do know that it can help you feel a lot better about any journey you take through life, and make you more resilient and flexible. As Maggie said, it’s not about your accomplishments. It is about being grateful for your gifts, creating yourself, and making yourself happy.
I agreed heartily with Maggie’s post, and I hope you take her words to heart.
Catherine
