This is the question I grapple with more than any other. I feel like, if I am asking myself this question so frequently, maybe I shouldn't be writing this story. Maybe I should spend my time on something I feel is more meaningful, since I seem to be having issues with the book. I frequently second-guess both my motivation for writing it and the quality of the book. (Who cares about this story? is the question I hear most in my head.) I don't generally have confidence issues so the fact that I'm having so much trouble with this book should tell me something? Or should it? Maybe every writer goes through this.
Usually, when I'm done pissing away a bunch of time worrying about this, I come to the conclusion that I'm writing this story because it's fun. I enjoy the world I created, the characters, and the complete absurdity of the situations they find themselves in. I can't constantly ask myself if this is cliche or if it isn't; I can't be always bothering about whether this is fresh, innovative, or interesting. I just need to write the story, and write it to please myself.
It's ironic to me to discover that my biggest issue is worrying about what other people think of my book. I'm supposed to be the kind of person who doesn't care about that. And if not the kind of person I am, at the very least writers can't concern themselves with those thoughts. I have to just go for it here, and not worry about what's going to happen with it. I have to allow myself to suck if that's what's going to happen. I have to remind myself that everything I write isn't going to be of the utmost important. Some of it will have to be tossed away. I just have to write, write, and keep writing until one or both of my hands fall off. It's the only way I'm going to get anything good.
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