Quality is indeterminate—on the topic of fearing you aren't good enough

In his book Game Architecture and Design, Andrew Rollings attributes this quote to Sid Meier: "A game is a series of interesting choices." In the same paragraph, Rollings then elaborates with: "To be worthwhile, gameplay choices must be non-trivial. Each strategy that the player considers using must have an upside and a downside. ... If there’s only a downside, no one will ever use that strategy so why bother including it in the game?"

I'm not a video game developer, and I'm unfamiliar with the intricacies associated with the field. These excerpts, however, inspired me, and I reached the conclusion that literature is much the same. A plot for a piece of writing is merely a collage of interesting ideas that are stitched together, like a traditionally-sewn quilt consisting of many miscellaneous patches. Sure, one can make the argument that plot should be a masterfully-written piece of literature escorted deliberately to a desired end and every feature within, major or insignificant, should be present only to assist in that ultimate process. But we're not professional practitioners of the literary arts. We're amateurs. That doesn't mean we aren't worthy of consideration, however.

We amateurs aren't inferior to the greats, nor are our works inferior to their contributions. There is novelty in mediocrity. Technique and, to an extent, art itself, is objective, but the emotion we feel when creating and appreciating art is entirely subjective. It may be inevitable that there will always be someone in the world who is more talented than you in whatever field you're involved in, but it is also inevitable that there will always be someone in the world who appreciates you and your artistic endeavors for what they is, regardless of their objective flaws.

If you're currently writing a story or are thinking about writing a story and you're afraid of embarrassing yourself, don't be. Just complete it and post it. Someone, somewhere, will derive enjoyment from it. Receive views, receive comments, and seek insight and advice from others.

This quote belongs to Exurb1a, an individual passionate about the creative arts and possessing far more talent than me:

"The way is there is no way. There is no 10-point plan to making art, there is no manual, anyone trying to sell you one is lying. There is technique, obviously, but technique is not art—it is the emissary of art. The master, the art, is in you, and that world is 10 million times more important than any technique anyone could teach you. I'm not saying don't educate yourself, obviously please do, but at the end of the day it will come back around to the primacy of your great imagination."

Check out his Youtube channels and go write and publish any stories you've been too embarrassed to finish. Don't be afraid. You can't run before first learning to walk. Everyone starts somewhere, everyone has their own personal journey of discovery and self-improvement, and, every step of the way, someone is bound to appreciate your work. Don't expect perfection. Just do your best. Improve at your own pace.

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So, the uploading of this blog post coincides with the submitting of one of my stories, Laments of the Dimension Stranded (remake). It's a revised version of the original posted earlier last year. Considering how dreadful the original was, this new version is a testament to how far I've come since. Of course, it's not perfect, and it has its flaws—I acknowledge that the transitions between chapters were awkward at times—but I didn't intend it to be perfect. I intended it to be a fun romp that consisted of a bunch of interesting ideas stitched together. I intended it be fun. And I dearly hope you had fun reading it.

P.S.,

For your convenience, here's a link to the video of Exurb1a's from which I sourced his quote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tx6U5OhMDg