When I did my writing course, one of the very first things my novel teacher said in our very first class was: "Nobody will introduce a piece by saying 'it's not very good' or 'sorry' or 'this isn't my best' or 'this piece sucks' or words to that effect. I will not tolerate that. You are writers. Your craft will improve as you practice it, but you must always practice with confidence.'"

I think it's fairly telling that our first lesson was on the importance of feeling confident about our work--we creative types do tend to be a tad insecure--and I actually find that remembering those words helps me resist the temptation to think negatively about my work. As does the knowledge that my teacher (an award winning novelist herself) was constantly making notes in the margins of her published work about ways to improve it when she did readings!

I guess we're all always looking to improve, but that's okay. In the meantime, we're having fun and giving other people something to enjoy and that's pretty cool! :D