Just Don’t Suck (and Other Lies Writers Tell Themselves)

(Free Post for “Nothing About This Is Safe” — Episode Companion)

Nov 06, 2025

You ever look at your first book, first podcast, first comic, and think,
“Maybe I’m just not cut out for this”?

Yeah. Me too.

That thought is poison, my friend.

And the crazy part?

It doesn’t even sound mean when it shows up…it sounds reasonable.
Logical.
Mature, even.
“The market spoke,” you tell yourself. “Nobody wants this.”

Except that’s not truth.
That’s fear, wearing a nice blazer.

This week I sat down with author and editor Lisa Norman (a.k.a.

Deleyna Marr

) , who said something that hit me square in the chest:

“Most writers judge the rest of their career by the limited success of their first project.”

Oof.
That’s the dagger, right?
Because it’s true.

We pour ourselves into that first creative leap, and when it doesn’t explode on launch, we start packing up our dreams like a band that got booed off stage.

But here’s what Lisa reminded me…the first project isn’t a verdict.
It’s a step.

You don’t step off the block you just built.
You step up to the next one.

The problem is, most of us confuse the quiet for failure.
We look at the silence and think nobody’s out there.

Meanwhile, there are readers who loved what you made…they just never said a word.
(If that’s you, by the way… write a review. Three sentences. Please. Authors live off those the way plants live off sunlight.)

When you’ve been doing this as long as I have, you start to realize:
A career isn’t built on luck, it’s built on persistence.

Skill grows slow.
Audiences grow slower.
But both die the moment you stop showing up.

I said something in the episode that made Lisa roll her eyes at me —

“Nothing will work for you if you suck.”

Now, I meant it. But Lisa pushed back.
Because there are plenty of brilliant creatives out there who don’t suck… and still haven’t seen the success they deserve.

Sometimes the work is great, but the season isn’t ready yet.
Sometimes you’re building muscles for something bigger you can’t see.

And sometimes you just need one small win — one sign that reminds you this is still worth doing.

So here’s my challenge this week:
Go find your small win.
Write a single paragraph that makes you proud.
Finish that short story.
Post that art piece.
Leave a review for someone whose work you admire.

Do one thing that proves you’re still in motion.

Because progress doesn’t start when you “make it.”
It starts when you stop quitting.
It’s called “success in motion.”

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Just Don’t Suck (and Other Lies Writers Tell Themselves)

(Free Post for “Nothing About This Is Safe” — Episode Companion)

You ever look at your first book, first podcast, first comic, and think,“Maybe I’m just not cut out for this”?

Ink & Purpose: Why Fiction Matters - The Forgotten Power Behind Every Great Parent and Every Great Storyteller

Discussion about this post

You ever look at your first book, first podcast, first comic, and think,
“Maybe I’m just not cut out for this”?