Probably every writer who's ever constructed a story has gone through the self-accusations of not being good enough. And, hey, there are always times when we're not good enough. Maybe those times come at the beginning of the writing journey when we haven't gained our best stride, or we fumble around with our voice, or we've yet to fully understand the craft of putting all the pieces of story together to form a real novel. Or perhaps we've written a few stories after overcoming the foibles of the learning process and we get stuck at some point in a story we thought we were going to nail.
If you've ever been through the querying process and experienced rejection, the tendency is to assume your work wasn't good enough. Although that's not always the case, sometimes those who receive your manuscript in fact think you're not good enough for their specific tastes, needs, or desires.
I've never watched a single episode of American Idol. The original commercials featuring totally untalented contestants making a mockery of the competition never inspired me to get involved. Those embarrassing "performances" clearly demonstrated people who were not good enough to compete in their field of choice. They left no doubt they never would be. Their personal evaluations of themselves proved they could not clearly determine what was required to be good enough.
There comes a point where you must face your writing skills and evaluate them with a measure of comparison in mind. By that I mean to make sure you understand where you are as a writer. Are you skilled in the craft – do you understand the objectives of your story? Are you proficient enough grammatically to break rules without coming across as ignorant of them? Are you familiar with enough admirable and talented authors to realistically assess your work? Have you gained confidence in who – what kind of reader – will appreciate your voice, style, and genre?
There is also another point where you conclude you either are or are not good enough.You know there will always be a steeper climb, but between gripping and notching that next position, some satisfaction must exist. You must be able to differentiate whether or not criticism has merit or is merely a subjective expression of different tastes.
So where are you honestly? Good enough or not good enough?
Father, help us all to live fully, to act in obedience, and to reach our potential under your hand of mercy. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Into the Fire 
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