Be a Self-Confident Writer

 

Today's quote by Sylvia Plath says 'The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.' I agree with her. When a writer doubts him/herself's ability to write, it is often a one-way ticket to disaster. The more you doubt yourself, the worse it becomes. When you find yourself doubting your writing ability, it's time to wok on building your self-confidence. 

Remember back in grade school when the teacher gave you a bit of praise. You felt so good and were inspired to continue doing well in that subject. But, when the teacher scolded and told you to start doing better or you'd never have an A paper, you deflated pretty quickly. It felt like a black cloud was hovering over you all day, and you had no desire to do well in that subject. The teacher who praised helped build self-confidence in you, while the other one made you feel terrible about yourself.

What can you do to increase your self-confidence so that your writing world becomes a happy place? A few suggestions follow:

A.  Read what other writer say about the craft. Read but also believe. Don't take the attitude that what the other writer says is fine for other people, but I'll never be able to do what they say. Believe in what successful writers tell you. 

B.  Besides believing in what other writers say, start believing in yourself. An attitude of "I can do this" will take you a long way. A negative attitude will only dig the self-doubt hole deeper. Think about what made you start writing and keep it in mind.

C.  Start and finish a writing project. Key word here is 'finish' If you start myriad pieces but finish none, you'll have a hard time staying confident in your abilities.

D.  Get feedback from other writers. When you submit a piece, ask them what they like, where they think you might improve, and any other suggestions. You're sure to get some remarks about what the person who critiqued your work liked as well as tips for making it a better story or essay. The positive comments can help boost your self-confidence. (Note to those who critique:  Always make as many positive comments as possible)

E.  Muffle your inner critic. We can be very adept at tearing ourselves down. You've been there with thngs like 'what a piece of junk this is' or 'who in the world is going to thnk this is any good?' or 'why am I even trying?' Don't listen to that voice in your head that delights in telling you things that will sink you into that self-doubt hole. You can turn off the tv and the radio, so learn to turn off that inner critic, too. 

F.  Set small, realistic goals and meet them. Don't set a goal to write a novel in three months. Set a goal of x number of chapters this month. Don't set a goal of submitting to twenty publishers this month. Make it two or three. 

G.  Celebrate small victories. No accomplishment in your writing life is to be ignored. Keep a list of those winning moments. Read that list as a good reminder.

H.  A lack of confidence can come from a lack of knowledge. You can fix that by taking time to read and learn more about the craft of writing.

I.  Make a list of your strengths in writing. Add to it when you can. Don't only create the list, read it now and then to remind yourself. 

J.  Look in the mirror every day and tell yourself that you are a writer, that you are continuing to learn your craft, and that you will write as well as you can every day. 

Key to being a self-confident writer is to build yourself up instead of tearing yourself down.