Don’t Worry About Being Original – Just Be Authentic

In any creative field there is the temptation to put a value on ingenuity and originality above everything else. If you are writing for a creative agency or produce marketing pieces for clients or are just writing your own work to be marketed and publicised there is always the doubt in the back of your mind “hasn’t someone done this before?” Many people put too much pressure on being original that they overlook the important quality of authenticity.

In the age of the Internet where the next big thing creates a craze with millions of people overnight, it is tempting to look for that one “thing” that will set you apart from the rest. With writing however, that ability lies in our own unique passions.

Here are just a few reasons why authenticity for writers can be more important than originality:

You will enjoy what you write more.

Forget about producing a blog article on the next great Twitter app if Twitter doesn’t ignite a flame of passion inside of you. Don’t force yourself to have an interest in something you don’t like. As you concentrate more on producing material you love you will enjoy the process of writing even more.

People can smell a fake

If the above reason wasn’t good enough to encourage you to stick to your passions and interests – here’s another. It is much harder to infiltrate a sphere of influence as a fake because people with true passion will sense you are not all you appear and to a trained eye your writing may seem contrived and forced.

You will become better at what you do

By focusing your efforts on what you love, you increase your authenticity. Not only will you be writing pieces you are passionate about but you are continually honing your skills and expertise in that area.

You will attract similarly authentic people

By being true to your interests, and publishing work related to this, you will attract useful people who share your passions. This network will be far more valuable to you than a high volume of contacts that have little or no interest in what it is you genuinely want to write about

Authenticity is for marathon runners not sprinters

If you want to achieve the thrill of overnight fame then certainly try to write a controversial piece that hasn’t been done before which will gain plenty of publicity. If, however you are a writer who feels you want to be appreciated for work dear to you, then keep investing your efforts into the subjects that make you want to get up every morning and start writing.