Own What You Know
The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias where individuals with low ability in a specific area overestimate their competence, while those with high ability may underestimate their skills. This is because those lacking expertise don’t know what they don’t know and lack any self-awareness to recognize their shortcomings and those who are educated in their field assume if they know it, everyone must know it.
If you’re studying your writing craft, then you’re most likely in the second category. You may have a lot to learn, yes, but you’re aware you have a lot to learn.
Which means you do know more about writing than most people! Often, we compare ourselves to the award-winners and bestsellers. We think we don’t know anything because we haven’t seen the same kind of commercial success. It’s an easy trap to fall into, but it eats away at our own confidence and, hence, motivation.
Be proud of what you know already! Congratulate yourself on what you’ve already learned. Depending on the source, statistics suggest that more than 80 per cent of people say they want to write a book. Some sources say as low as three percent actually do. But you are! (Yes, studying how to write is part of the process). So yeah, you know more than most. Own it. Flaunt it. Then write the best damn book you can.