It’s time for yet another Insecure Writer’s Support Group Post! We’re talking about some ways to combat insecurity today.
Insecurity can become a hurricane-force cycle of depression and negativity. There are ways to break this cycle, though. You can even start thinking of yourself as a successful writer. Some of these techniques are borrowed from the Jericho Writers’ Dream Author program by Sophie Hannah.
- Stop looking for perfection. The first draft of anything is crap. That’s a given and you may as well get used to it. The point is to get the words onto the page so you can edit them and polish the manuscript.
- Stop defining success as something you don’t have. Do you have a good idea that excites you and makes you want to write? Success! Have you finished a draft? Success! Have you posted an article on your (or anyone’s) blog? Success! You just need to quit moving the goalposts before you celebrate your goals.
- Stop reading your own work back all the time. What you wrote yesterday does not define what you will write today. Start fresh every morning.
- Stop telling yourself you can’t do this. You can do this! It might be hard—but then, everything worth doing always is.
- Just go.
July’s question is: What would make you quit writing? I honestly can’t think of anything other than catastrophic injury that would make me stop. I plan to write until the end, God willing. If I get arthritis, I can use a voice-to-text program to keep writing. My brain is just hard-wired for storytelling. It’d take something catastrophic to stop me.
What about you? Do you feel like you can conquer your insecurities and keep writing? Are you willing to keep working and improving until you are published?