if you’re feeling insecure regarding your ability to create stories, remember this: the overwhelming majority of everything is mediocre at best.

this might not seem like the most inspiring message; shouldn’t you be looking up to great, accomplished artists rather than sneering down at the failed ones? but that’s the thing — just because they’re mediocre doesn’t mean they’ve failed.

a lot of media being released these days is just plain not good, and that does not stop it from being adored by millions worldwide. people create stories based on checklists of what tropes will sell. series are created for the sole purpose of selling merchandise, without any thought put into the plot or characters. and it works. this stuff sells. you look at it and you ask yourself ‘what is this shit’, and yet there’s not a soul out there who hasn’t as much as heard the name ‘twilight’.

the story you want to create — even if you’re inexperienced in writing or art, even if you don’t have the whole thing worked out in your head, even if you end up rushing a few plot points or pulling a few deus ex machinas here and there, even if it turns out flawed — as long as you truly, sincerely want to make it happen and are willing to pour time, effort and love into it, that on its own is enough to make it worthwhile. because you’re putting your heart into it, and in a world that’s most primarily occupied with ‘but how can we make this earn us the most money’, that’s not something to take for granted.

so if you’re ever feeling like you can’t do it because you’re not good enough, think of bee movie. think of madagascar 3. think of glee. think of fifty shades of gray. and tell yourself:

‘you know what, fuck this. no matter what i end up doing, i’ll still do better than that.’