Are you as good as your favourite authors?

So many writers have published work out there these days, and it seems (especially with self-publishing and e-books) it has never been easier to get your story out in the world, but should every story available truly be there?

For me personally it is my favourite and most read authors that become the measure I hold my writing up to. Is it arrogant to believe I can write a story as captivating as Stephen King, Richard Laymon or Kelley Armstrong? No, it is not, if I didn't think my storytelling could match these well known and well loved authors why would I even be writing?

If you are working towards being published for the first time or even writing your third or fourth book you should be able to hold your head up high and proudly throw your literary piece in the ring with the strongest contenders. It is true we can't all be the next Mark Twain, J.R.R Tolkien, or even J.K Rowling, but if that is not what we are aiming for then aren't we just wasting our time?

I have complete faith in my stories captivating readers, and I am willing to put in the hard work (and trust me the repeated editing is hard and tiring work), so I can publish something that will hold its own on the new release shelf of any book store.. If I didn’t have faith in myself and pride in my WIP I could take the easy way and self publish an incomplete poorly edited version of what I want my literary legacy to be.

Not that I think self publishing is an easy way out, or that all writers who self publish are not great writers, after all even Mark Twain self published! It may even come to pass that I do indeed choose self publishing when I finally have my WIP ready for public consumption. But if I don't think my writing is up there with my favourite authors then it will never see the light of day, and it is my very strong opinion that everyone who writes for a living should answer this same question, so how about you? Are you as good as your favourite authors?