We’ve all felt it: the nagging notion that we’re not up to the task, that we don’t have enough talent, that we’re not worthy of the project we’ve started or even the job of writer. Call it imposter syndrome or a crisis of faith or self-doubt. Whatever its name, it’s a killer.
In a post on Writer Unboxed, Robin LaFevers offers some tips when you question your competence, permissions, or worthiness. “Of all the causes of self doubt, competence is the most easily fixed,” she says. The solution comes from putting in the work, learning your craft, and committing the time you need to improve. While your stories will never be as awesome on paper as they are in your head, you can still write a terrific book. That’s pretty good!
Sometimes though, your writing goals start to hinder rather than inspire. When that happens, LaFevers says change the goal. “The trick is to find a goal that feels like a challenge but doesn’t suffocate us,” She explains. “Instead of finishing a manuscript to find an agent or land a contract, shift the goal to finishing a manuscript. Focus on nailing one or two things in this manuscript rather than having the entire forward trajectory of your career hinging on it. Try on different goals until you feel that tight knot of doubt inside you begin to ease up.”
If you’re worried that you’re not the right person to create a certain story or that you might feel too vulnerable after writing about a sensitive topic, LeFevers suggests some head games you can play to get the self-doubt devil off your shoulder. Tell yourself it’s just a practice story, that no one else will see it, or that you’re writing it to entertain yourself and no one else. Work to free your mind from self-inflicted shackles and go have fun with your story!
If you’re facing the worst time of self-doubt – a feeling of unworthiness – LeFevers has some advice for that too. “One helpful thing can be to tell yourself your own story, as if you were talking about somebody else’s life,” she writes. “Think about the things you’ve endured, the circumstances you’ve risen above, the forces that were stacked against you, the times you faltered and almost failed, then got up and tried again. WRITE THEM DOWN. Honor the scars you’ve acquired. Honor the resilience you’ve shown. The fortitude. It’s exactly the kind of thing we celebrate in a heroine in a book. Celebrate it in yourself as well.”
