The Writer's Greatest Enemy: Self-Doubt
Hello! Long time, no blog.
Between buying a house, working on my novella for Camp NaNoWriMo, and being in talks with a production company to produce my animated kids show, I'm EXHAUSTED.
But lately, I've been fighting something every writer goes through.
Wait for it...
SELF-DOUBT. Yes, that ugly, terrifying little thing.
No matter who you are, what you write, or what point you're at in your career, you WILL wrestle with self-doubt. It's inevitable, so don't try to ignore it or pretend you don't get it.
And it can crop up anytime and anywhere, right out of the blue. It's usually a swirl of negative thoughts in your mind, impossible to silence, like...
What if I'm never successful/will never do anything else successful?
What if my writing is just terrible and I never improve?
What if no literary agent wants me/wants another book?
What if I never finish this story and experience writer's block?
What if I release this story and only receive bad reviews and criticism?
What if I never sell 500 million copies and become a billionaire like J.K. Rowling?
(Okay, that last one was a joke. But I digress.)
What if, what if, what if? It's a dangerous game, yet we play it every day.
And writer's block can grow like a weed, so it's best to address it before it gets out of hand.
Yes, writing is a difficult profession. Yes, it's filled with rejection, failure, anxiety, and sadness. And yes, it can be hard to break into and make a name for yourself among THOUSANDS of aspiring, hard-working authors.
But listening to self-doubt and letting it stop you is your greatest enemy, not rejection and failure.
You see, rejection and failure can actually be great teachers. But self-doubt will NEVER teach you anything - it'll never help you grow and evolve as a writer. It's a pointless worry. Life has enough anxiety without adding writer's block to the list.
Thinking you're not talented, smart, or good enough is a cruel thing to do to yourself - and a negative mindset that will ruin you.
When self-doubt sneaks up on you, don't fight it. Let it run its course with its negativity. But when it's over...
Tell it to shut up. You have stories to write, damn it - and you can't let anything stop you from doing something so important.
If becoming a published writer is your dream, you must learn to overcome self-doubt before it consumes you. It isn't easy, but it is possible. And once you do, you'll be a better, happier writer because of it.
As always, thanks for reading and happy writing!
Sincerely,
Dana
Between buying a house, working on my novella for Camp NaNoWriMo, and being in talks with a production company to produce my animated kids show, I'm EXHAUSTED.
But lately, I've been fighting something every writer goes through.
Wait for it...
SELF-DOUBT. Yes, that ugly, terrifying little thing.
No matter who you are, what you write, or what point you're at in your career, you WILL wrestle with self-doubt. It's inevitable, so don't try to ignore it or pretend you don't get it.
And it can crop up anytime and anywhere, right out of the blue. It's usually a swirl of negative thoughts in your mind, impossible to silence, like...
What if I'm never successful/will never do anything else successful?
What if my writing is just terrible and I never improve?
What if no literary agent wants me/wants another book?
What if I never finish this story and experience writer's block?
What if I release this story and only receive bad reviews and criticism?
What if I never sell 500 million copies and become a billionaire like J.K. Rowling?
(Okay, that last one was a joke. But I digress.)
What if, what if, what if? It's a dangerous game, yet we play it every day.
And writer's block can grow like a weed, so it's best to address it before it gets out of hand.
Yes, writing is a difficult profession. Yes, it's filled with rejection, failure, anxiety, and sadness. And yes, it can be hard to break into and make a name for yourself among THOUSANDS of aspiring, hard-working authors.
But listening to self-doubt and letting it stop you is your greatest enemy, not rejection and failure.
You see, rejection and failure can actually be great teachers. But self-doubt will NEVER teach you anything - it'll never help you grow and evolve as a writer. It's a pointless worry. Life has enough anxiety without adding writer's block to the list.
Thinking you're not talented, smart, or good enough is a cruel thing to do to yourself - and a negative mindset that will ruin you.
When self-doubt sneaks up on you, don't fight it. Let it run its course with its negativity. But when it's over...
Tell it to shut up. You have stories to write, damn it - and you can't let anything stop you from doing something so important.
If becoming a published writer is your dream, you must learn to overcome self-doubt before it consumes you. It isn't easy, but it is possible. And once you do, you'll be a better, happier writer because of it.
As always, thanks for reading and happy writing!
Sincerely,
Dana
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