I Survived HubPages Boot Camp but Still has Inferiority Complex Writing for HP was published on September 3, 2014 in HP.
With my 5th hub being featured today, I passed HP boot camp or training period as a new Hubber. When I wrote and published my first article, I notice a warning alert about being still in Boot Camp. I really did not know what it meant and did not pay much attention to it. All I know is that I will have to write four more hubs and have it featured before I pass the Boot camp period. I learn that after my 5th hub, I will receive an accolade that may motivate me to write more hubs of good quality. However, I still feel inadequate of my ability to write good quality hubs. I also learn that l will earn my first Accolade as soon I have the five Hub featured. Will this accolade really motivate me?
Feeling of Inadequacy as a Writer
The last couple of weeks even after passing boot camp, I started to feel again an inferiority complex about my writing abilities. This feeling of inadequacy was heightened when I learned of the numerous professionals, experienced and excellent writers here in HP. .
I believe I know the answer, but I will not put it in writing until the end of this article. Please read on..
Let me start by saying that writing has never been my goal in life. But after my retirement from FDA in 2002, I realized I need some kind of activity that will sharpen my old brain besides playing bridge and computer games. So in 2009, I started blogging as suggested by a friend who is a professional blogger and writer.
The topic I chose was about my life experiences here in the US and comparing it with my life in the Philippines. It was two years ago, when I realized that I have numerous readers, about 300 daily based on Google statistics, and comments on my blogs.
Several of my readers gave positive comments about my articles and indicated they like my writing style. There were two comments that were so negative it still hurts my ego even today. Luckily there were only two negative comments out of the more than 500 that I have received in my 8 blogs, as of today. I even thought for a while to quit blogging, but a friend advised me to ignore the two negative comments
In 2013, my writing activity soared to great heights when three of my articles were published in Huliq News. Another three articles were published in a widely read Internet magazine about Life in the Philippines. I also started writing my autobiography and created a website for Chateau Du Mer, my beach resort in Boac, Marinduque, Philippines.
Another friend suggested, I signed for the Google AdSense program and started earning about $10 per month. I joined Facebook and Twitter to advertise the Beach Resort and Conference Center. The readership of my eight blogs went up to about 300 readers daily and I was a very happy and a contented blogger.
ViewsHound, Squidoo and other Writing Sites
In August of 2011, I discovered ViewsHound.-a writing site based in UK I published 46 articles in that writing site until it went out of business around December, 2011. In 2012, I started writing foe Publish.us and Squidoo.com. I have 23 featured lenses in Squidoo and more than 300 articles in Publish.us. Both writing sites are now defunct.Publish.us went out of business last year. Squidoo will not be in existence by October 1 and key content acquired by HP as all of you probably know. I have an account in Triond and Open Saloon, but it has been inactive since 2012.
Today, I still feel inadequate about my writing activities. I am envious of the writing styles of other writers.. I know there is no reason why I should feel this way. Based on comments from my blogs, I know I am a fairly good writer and a lot of my readers like my style of writing.
Reason for Inferiority Complex
I believe the reason why I have still have an inferiority complex about my writing is deep rooted in my memory of my earlier years. It probably started during my elementary school days, when I received the lowest grade of 75% in my English and grammar classes. All my other grades in math, science, history and others were in the 90 to 95% range. Because of my low grade in English, instead of graduating valedictorian of the class, I only received a Second Honor award.
In my high school year, I was surprised when I was chosen editor of our high school newspaper. I wrote several poems, articles about the advantages and disadvantages of being the oldest child, and other topics about high school life that were of interest to my age group. My English grade improved. There was a point in my high school years that I wanted to get a degree in journalism. When I informed my parents of my plan to study journalism in college, they discouraged me. They said there is no money in journalism. I will starve and will never be able to support a family if I depend my livelihood as a writer. They insisted I take medicine, law or just become a Catholic priest.
In college, I took the Pre-Med course as suggested by my parents. At the end of my second year, I know medicine was not for me, since the sight of blood nauseated me. I shifted to chemistry and the rest is history. During my undergraduate and graduate school years, almost all of my courses were in science and mathematics. There was no need to be a writer ( except technical reports and homework) until five years ago, when I started blogging.
Are good writers born or made? Am I a Born or Made Writer?
I am not quite sure what the correct answer is, but I feel I am both. My early childhood has never been devoted to writing or art activities. It was science and mathematics that was emphasized in my early education. Later in my high school years, for some twist of luck, I was chosen by my English instructor to be editor of our high school newspaper. I was forced to write articles as fillers for the newspaper and was taught the basics of news writing and editing.
My years as an undergraduate and graduate student emphasized science, mathematics and engineering. It was only after my retirement that I started blogging and learned that I enjoy writing. This is true also for my oldest son. He wrote a novel (Cloyne Court) after finishing law school and now is on his second novel. He told me he writes as a hobby and is a relaxation therapy for him. Writing to him is a good diversion from his hectic life as a prosecuting attorney here in Northern California.
There is a common saying that if you can talk, you can write. But great writing is a born talent and I believe can not be taught. The passion to write is born. People have different reasons why they write. A few writes for the sake of writing and can not survive without it. Others write to earn a living and work hard to be a successful writer, reporter or novelist.
So why do I want to write for HubPages and my blogs. First, I enjoy writing. Second, to advertise my beach resort in the Philippines and last but not least is to get affirmation from readers and other writers that they enjoy reading my articles. Reading positive comments from others is an ego boast and makes me feel alive and useful during this stage of my life (retirement and old age.
Getting a monetary award ( from Ads) and accolades are another ego boosts, but I have learned these are no longer my primary incentives why I am writing. Today, I have realized not to compare myself with the other writers. I have my own style of writing and if I write from the heart, nothing can go wrong.
Most writers that I know write because they love writing. To them writing is just like breathing. These born writers do not work hard to create an excellent article, because their writing comes from the heart and their soul. Others write with a lot of work, training and pain. Good writers run in the family as exemplified by the family of Stephen King. Most writers however are made and only become good writers through hard work and constant practice. The most common traits of good writers are patience and persistence, whether their writing talent is inborn or just developed.
Allow me to quote from an article of a friend in FaceBook, The Writing Bug. "Writing for me right now, is like love. It isn't something I do, it happens to me. It takes me completely by surprise when I least expect it and then it absolutely refuses to let go until it wants to. It's intoxicating and irrational".
This is how a born writer feels everyday of his/her life. Writing to inborn writers must feel like addiction or a compulsion that must be satiated.
How about you? Are you a born writer or a made writer? Do you agree with the statement that good writers can be made but great writers are born? !
After passing my boot camp, I feel extremely happy and hopefully writing more good quality articles for HubPages and in my blogs.
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