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[Deleted member 89995]

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[Lorelliad]

In both good and bad ways, yes.

They're either better than me or worse than me, there's no in between :D

I grow either an inferiority complex or a superiority complex

 

[J_Chemist]

Not really, actually.

It's more that I use other writers as references and learning material. We all have our own methods of using words. By reading other works, I learn new ways to express things.

 

[Fox-Trot-9]

Nope, I don't compare myself to other writers. I do like to take passages I like from their books and include them in my writer's bible and try to learn something from them, though.

 

[georgelee5786]

Yes. I compare myself to J.R.R. Tolkien and say to myself, "Why can't you be a fourth as good at writing as him?" I do this to motivate myself to do better.

 

[Domoviye]

Never.
It's a dangerous road potentially leading to self-doubt and perfectionism. So whenever I find myself doing it, I push it down hard.

I try to learn from other authors, never compare myself to them.

 

[P00H]

All the time. 50% its horrible for my mental health. The other 50% is great for improving my writing.

 

[Deleted member 54065]

I forge my own path, so I don't.

 

[Erys]

You shouldn't compare yourself with other authors. Comparisons can only be made if when the corresponding factors are constant. Even authors who write the same genre can't be compared.

In essence, what you are doing is actually compare yourself to what they like to present themselves as. It usually lead to a false conclusion.

If you need to someone to compare to, do it with a past version of you. This give us a sense of how we measure up, which is valuable information for self-improvement. You can't get it from comparing yourself to other author.

 

[Fritzer]

To not compare yourself to anyone else is just weakness.

Let the strong survive.

 

[Shard]

I try not to, but can't help it, unfortunately. On the plus side: I see a lot of horrible writing, which makes me feel better about my own. On the other hand, I read a lot of stories from very talented authors, which makes me feel horrible about my much lower quality.

I very strongly agree with Erys, comparing yourself with others is not very useful, but comparing against your past self can be very helpful. That said, paying attention to the works of other authors can be very helpful as well, as that allows you more exposure to different styles and methods of doing things. You may even find interesting ideas you think you can do better, or at least in a way more fitting with your style.

 

[ForestDweller]

I do all the time.

 

[APieceOfRock]

I do, put I always remind myself not to when I see some bad fanfics and harem wish fulfillment fictions get thousands of readers and donator.

 

[BenJepheneT]

i always wanted to, but the fundamental difference between what we want to achieve with our craft stops me from making any substantial conclusion out of the comparisons.

i want to do my shit, and they want to do theirs. to compare each other is like an apple trying to see if an orange is any better than being an apple.

 

[LORD_SHAXX]

I know I shouldn't but its hard not to. I think it's great to take inspiration from other authors. But you have to remember it's your story so you are free to do what you want with it.

 

[K5Rakitan]

When I was first starting out, I compared myself to the least skilled of the bunch and told myself that at least it wouldn't be that bad. Now, I only compare myself to my past selves.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

Nope. Because I have a horrible memory. I barely remember my boss' name, you expect me to remember some author's name?

 

[Renaxan]

I don't do that, because that's only make me feel sad, losing motivation and self doubt.

I know that I am not a good writer after all. I just want to have fun with my hobby.

 

[RavenRunes]

Sometimes, when I find a writer whose style I like and don't do but want to. Sometimes I wonder what my style is, and wonder how they have found theirs but I may not have found mine.

 

[Lloyd]

Yes