Post History
If someone asks you a writing question, don't answer with reference to your own work. Answer with reference to the works of the greatest writers you have read. This allows you to address the questi...
Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/25223 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/25223 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
If someone asks you a writing question, don't answer with reference to your own work. Answer with reference to the works of the greatest writers you have read. This allows you to address the question while tacitly acknowledging that there are better examples out there than your own work. It also shows that you are genuinely interested in the craft, with is the opposite of an egotistical interest in your own work. Egoism, ultimately, is not about thinking that your work is excellent, it is about thinking that the work is excellent because it is yours. Showing an interest in and admiration for the work of others absolves you of egoism while showing that you have a genuine interest and enthusiasm for literary excellence.