Doubting Yourself As a Writer?

I often joke that if you’re experiencing writer’s self-doubt, then you must, by definition, be a writer. I’m not sure why we’re all so ridiculously insecure, but that does seem to be the case.

If you don’t agree with me, you probably don’t know a lot of writers.

Take Danielle Steel. She’s written more than 200 books—180 novels, five nonfiction books, 18 children’s books and even a book of poetry. Her books, which have been translated into 45 languages, are sold all over the world. She has held the Guinness World Record, not just once but three times, for being on the New York Times bestseller list longer than anyone else. If anyone should feel confident about their writing, it’s Danielle Steele. Instead, she experiences just as much self-doubt as the rest of us. Every time she sends a manuscript to her editor, this mega-bestselling author thinks, “Oh, she’s going to hate it.”

So, if even a writer as stratospherically successful as Danielle Steel struggles with self-doubt, how are the rest of us supposed to cope with all the unavoidable rejection, especially when you consider that so many of the decisions about our manuscripts are dictated by potential sales rather than the quality of the work. And how do we deal with the inevitable criticism that comes our way even as people fail to appreciate the craft and sheer effort that goes into writing?

There is, of course, no one answer to any of these questions.

Sure, you can potentially ease the sting of rejection by understanding how the publishing arena works. Let’s face it. Unless you’re open to alternative publishing, the odds are definitely not in a writer’s favor. That doesn’t make those rejections any easier, a lesson I learned over and over again as a freelance journalist, but it does make them a tad less personal. At least we’re not models getting turned away because our bodies somehow aren’t right.

You can also protect yourself against criticism by avoiding it. Of course, that’s not always possible. I’m still trying to get over the impact of a few careless words thrown out by one of my creative writing professors in college. But it shocks me that so many writers seem so willing to share their manuscripts without any kind of due diligence. As I ask in a post I wrote a few years ago, “Would you hand over your infant to just anyone without at least making sure they know how to correctly hold a baby?” Never! So why do that with a manuscript that is still in the womb?

Conversely, finding a writer’s group that adheres to strict rules about how they deal with each other’s writing can help you focus on your strengths and shore up your writing challenges (yes, we all have them) as you move forward. And, although I’m clearly biased, hiring the right book or writing coach can be a game-changer.

Of course, other people’s reactions are usually nothing compared to how harshly we judge ourselves and our writing. No wonder writer’s self-doubt has become its own destructive art form. While we can’t control the rejections we’re bound to get and we can only sometimes sidestep others’ criticisms, we can definitely address how we undermine ourselves. That starts with using my sloppy copy process to strip away that sense of perfectionism that feeds every writer’s self-doubt. Sure, you’ll have to aim to perfect your writing once you’re ready to revise a draft, but don’t let misplaced perfectionism impede your creativity or feed your insecurities before then.

In the end, as much as we all would love to have that bestseller that even the literary critics adore, the person we most need to please is ourselves. If the book you’ve written makes your soul sing, then banish that writer’s self-doubt. You’ve done yourself proud.

This article was originally published on One Stop Writing Shop's blog at https://lindengross.com/2024/08/08/writers-self-doubt/.