You're starting to feel like nobody is going to even like your writing. You're losing faith in your work. This is normal, and I think it's a form of writer's block. Don't let this feeling get you down. In this post, I'll explain why you're likely feeling this way, boost your confidence, and give you some methods to try to remove this feeling, like taking a break or changing your mindset. You've been writing or outlining your work for a while, but now you're starting to think it's not even any good. You are not alone. It's normal to have doubts about your ideas or works, but if we were to dwell on doubts instead of reach for goals, would we really accomplish anything? Get rid of this pesky Writer's Impostor Syndrome! IMPOSTOR SYNDROME. If you feel like you haven't achieved goals, you aren't going to achieve your goals, your writing isn't any good anymore or no one will like it, etc, etc, just feel plain bad about your writing, you are suffering from Writer's Impostor Syndrome. Everybody faces it at least once in their writing career. Not that it makes your doubts any better, but it is good to know you are not alone when you're feeling this way.
I consider it a form of writer's block. When you feel this way, you don't want to work on your project anymore, maybe never again. But just like writers block, it will go away, and there are ways to fight it off. BUT WHY DO I FEEL THIS WAY? There is a saying that goes like this: "familiarity breeds contempt." In other words, you've been around your writing so much, you start disliking it. I like to think that it's like the opposite of "you don't know what you have until it's gone." You don't think your writing is any good because you've become used to it, but if you were to lose it you'd miss it and see how good it really was. You may even be thinking "anyone can sit down and write/outline a story. I'm not special; I'm not any good." But here's the thing, not everybody does. You've already made an accomplishment doing just this alone. CONFIDENCE BOOST. You started writing/outlining because you liked the story idea. You were faithful to it. That's all the matters. Write because you like to, because you want to tell a story. Furthermore, if you liked it at one point, there are others that like it too. There are thousands of people out there, somebody will like your story. Plus, just because you don't like it right now, doesn't mean you'll never like your story again. This feeling will pass, and you will come back stronger once you defeat your doubt enemies. Keep this in mind: nobody writes a perfect story on the first try. That's why drafts exist, why editing exists. Practice, practice, practice. You don't have to get it right the first time, nor the second time, nor the fifth, and so on. Stop comparing your writing and story ideas to others. Listen to me when I say: your story is not bad; your writing may not be perfect at this moment, but editing and practice will make it better. COMBAT THE NEGATIVE FEELINGS. There are many different ways to get this feeling to go away. Maybe only one method will work for you, or maybe all of them will. Trial and error! SKIP OVER. You might have noticed that this particular feeling has come when you started writing a particular scene or chapter. When you sit down to write this chapter, you just can’t make any progress and all your doubts start flooding in. Say “goodbye” to that chapter! Skip it onto the next, or skip many chapters and write a scene you’ve been itching to get to and write. If you write something that you don’t feel is giving you a block, likely, when you come back to the chapter you skipped, you will be able to write it the second time around. TAKE A BREAK. Maybe your feeling is more broad, not tied to a particular scene but your work as a whole; don’t let this get you down. This is just your brain telling you that it needs a break from all the hard work and creativity you’ve been pouring into this project. It’s tired. It’s doing whatever it can to get away, even if that means an evil approach by making you feel bad about your writing. For me, I take a break from writing completely for a day, and this always helps me. I get other troubles/errands out of the way that have been bugging me, and then I realize I missed writing during my free time. I’m no longer looking down on my writing, but looking forward to it. However, I wouldn’t advise taking a break for more than three days. Too much time away, and your body will become accustomed to time without writing. Other writers will just take a break from that particular project. They will spend a couple days writing a short story, or a different story in the same world as their main project. This way, you're still using your free time to destress and write, but you're not putting the doubts you have on your project on yourself. You may find this is the better option for you! CHANGE YOUR MINDSET. Sometimes, the only way to defeat these doubts is to face them head on. You need to look at your doubts and say, not today! Today, I’m changing my mindset. There are a few different ways to regear your mind and remove these bad feelings. Look at your progress positively. Do not compare your progress to your goals, but look at your writing and say, “Look! I made progress today, even if it was just a little, it was still progress!” Celebrate every word you write, even if you might go back and delete it later. Quit worrying about how you write, and just write. Don’t compare yourself to others, as I said before, nobody writes perfectly on the first try. Don’t worry that this one sentence might sound a little off, you can go back and fix it later. Right now, focus on getting your doubts out of the way. Sit down and write. Show yourself you can write, and that you are going to be an author. It doesn’t matter how your writing is coming out, but that you are writing. Worry about fixing the errors after you’ve finished the draft or gotten your bad feelings away! Write for yourself, because you like to, not for anybody else. Do not worry about what x reader or y reader will think. Do not worry about how “bad” your story is. Just tell the story. You have a story to tell, so you’re going to tell it. No pesky doubt will stop you. Show that doubt that you’re going to write no matter what it thinks, because you want to write. FIND ADVICE. Sometimes you just need someone else to show you that your doubts are misplaced. Go to friends, family, social media, writing groups, anyone, and tell them what your doubts are. Ask them to read some of your work and give feedback, ask them if your doubts are wrong. They will show you they are. POWER THROUGH IT. This is the hardest approach, but for some it is the best method. Let your doubts float around, but don’t pay any mind to them. Just write. Sit how ever long you need to. Write and delete and rewrite as many times as it takes. Just power through these doubts until they stop coming. I hope this helped you defeat any doubts you are facing. Let me know in the comments which method worked best for you! And remember, you can get through this and your doubts will go away! Your story is not bad!
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More InfoErin blogs because she wants to help other young adult writers and new writers. It's aimed to educate others on the writing and self-publishing process. If there is anything you'd like to know that she hasn't covered yet, please contact her! |