Writers Can Conquer Fear and More

Fear looms large in the list of problems writers face. Many times, it's what keeps us from taking the next step on our writing journey. There's another guy that goes hand-in-hand with fear. His name is Doubt. Their sister, Miss Lack-of-Self-Confidence travels with them. Any one of them can wreak havoc on a writer, but put them together and disaster might be the result. 

I wonder if any writer can say that he/she has never had to deal with fear, doubt, or lack of self-confidence at some point. I fall short of calling anyone a liar, but I'd say these people would be hiding from the truth. Granted, there are varying degrees. Take fear, for instance. You can be paralyzed with fear to the point that you can't go on any longer, or you can have just a niggling little bit of it that gives you pause until you push it aside and move on. 

We doubt that we can write for the top name publishers or best magazines so we continue to submit to very small circulation places. We're not confident that we can compete with hundreds of other writers in a contest so we don't enter. We think things like:  I'm not a good enough writer. I'd never get an acceptance at that place. I'm just a so-so writer. I'm only a little fish in a big pond. 

Instead of continuing with that line of thinking, have thoughts that will help your confidence. Positive ones like:  Who says I can't do this? I've got as good a chance as anyone else. If I don't try, I'll never know how far I could go. I'm proud of my writing. 

One way to build your self-confidence is to keep learning about the craft of writing. Read every newsletter or book about writing that comes your way. If they don't fall into your lap, seek them! Go to workshops and conferences. Join writing groups. Have a one-on-one session with another writer. Ask questions. No matter how long you've been writing, there is no end to learning more about this skill. 

Another help is to make a vow to be more positive than negative. Negativity gets you nowhere in a hurry. We must stop putting ourselves down. Instead, make it a point to do all you can to build yourself up. 

There are people who allow fear, doubt and lack of self-confidence to accompany them for a very long time. The subconscious feeling can be that if I have all these problems to deal with, I don't have to produce. In other words, they hide behind their problems, use them as an excuse for why they don't submit their writing or take a long pause in writing. 

Even when we have success with our writing, we have bits of fear and doubt. If an author has a book published for the first time, they can't stop thinking about the reviews, the sales, the publisher's comments. Again, it can go by degrees--from passing thoughts to keep you awake every night reactions.

It's human to have a little fear, doubt and lack of self-confidence at times. A small amount can serve to push us to do better. What we don't want is to let those problems take over and push us away from the writing world, to push us backward rather than forward on our writing journey. I seem to say this often, but you are the one who is in control.