Creativity and Self-doubt

InsecureWritersSupportGroup

It’s that time of the month again, first Wednesday, which means, it’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group:

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

 

Today we’re talking about self-doubt:

SylviaPlatt

As a creative person, I like to have feedback on my creations. For me, this means opinions on my writing and stories. Since I haven’t published yet, the experiences I’ve had with feedback thus far are with beta readers. I had quite a few last year (about twelve of them) after I finished the first edits on my first book. Despite the corrections, I was highly encouraged by the positive responses to my characters and their story. It actually helped me stay on track knowing that readers had enjoyed it.

For published authors, the positive reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, blogs, etc, are a good indicator that readers love their stories and characters.

But what do you do when the feedback is less than positive, even when the criticism is meant to help you grow? I tell you, it’s hard to take and it leads to a lot of self-doubt. It’s easy to fall into a pattern of “maybe I don’t know what I’m doing”, and “maybe nobody will ever like it”. Self-doubt is like the seed of a weed—once it takes root, it’s hard to yank it out.

Earlier this week I got my manuscript back from my editor. I hired her on an excellent recommendation. She’s experienced and I trust her experience and opinions. Plus, I know her goal is to help me with my story. She had lots of good things to say about my story, characters, setting, overall proper writing mechanics, but there were also lots of corrections. This is really why I hired her, to see where my problems are. But knowing this doesn’t make it any easier to deal with those edits. And knowing the story so well with all the time I’ve spent working on it means I’m too close to it, and it’s all too personal. I can see the problems but I can’t see the solutions. Talk about major insecurity.

I was left with a simple decision—give up on my story, or believe I can make it better. As hard it was to think about it, it was also an easy decision to make: I believe in my story and characters, therefore I believe in continuing with the work, no matter how hard it is and how long it will take.

After talking it over with some writer friends, I concentrated on the positive and turned my back on self-doubt. I know it will still pop up unannounced, and more often than I care for, but keeping my goal and my belief in the story and characters are the reminders I need to not give up.

Insecure Writer #213

What are some of the trusted ways you use to get over discouragement and self-doubt?

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