April 2, 2012

Self-doubt: the cherry on top…


About to bite into a woe-is-me sundae? Has writing that work-in-progress lost its sweetness? Never fear. You’re not alone. *raises hand* I too have (and do on a daily basis) give into the saccharine allure of self-doubt…only to find it bitter and completely useless.

Seems like the Negative Nancy voice is always there to offer a non-encouraging word: You’ll never finish that project…You don’t know what you’re doing…No one will want to read it. Even as I’m writing this post, those three things swirl in my mind like a dark rain cloud about to burst.

And to that voice I say: Who the heck does self-doubt think she is? Hm? *lifts eyebrow* Who has time to worry? Between friends/family, a full-time job at city hall, Twitter (yes, the blue bird gets its own category), promoting my debut novel, revising another story, writing my current work-in-progress, attempting blog posts, beta-reading and somehow experiencing life…well, for Pete’s sake doubt has got to take a hike.

America poet, Sylvia Plath once said, “And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”

This is so true. As a writer, you are your own worst enemy. Writing is such a mental activity that if self-doubt wedges its way into the deep, dark crevices of your mind, then it’s a struggle just to see a hint of creativity. But the imagination is always there…just needs to be lured back out into the open. On that note, I offer these three carrots to help get you in the writing zone:

  1. Make a playlist. For each one of my stories I have about twelve songs that set the mood, remind me of the characters, speak to me about their personalities or just make me happy. I find this tool extremely helpful for discovery time and plotting. And Lord knows, I am not a plotter, but that’s another post.
  2. Edit at the end. If I edit as I write then I get caught up in unnecessary details that will most definitely change on the tenth or eleventh draft anyway. (insert maniacal laugh here) A tip that has helped me to stop editing as I go is to read only the most recent five pages before writing that day. Then I don’t stress over the inevitable plot-holes, bad spelling, poor grammar, excessive southern dialect, etc. *winks*
  3. Finish the book. We all get distracted by a new idea…it’s human nature. But I try to keep in mind that my current characters need their story told too. And if I don’t do it…well, who will? It’s that feeling of typing the last word in a manuscript that keeps me going. It’s pure euphoria, like seeing the heavens open and winged unicorns fly to earth on a path of rainbows. Seriously, it’s that fantastic. And if you’re like me after you type the end, you’ll high five yourself, smile like an idiot and clap like a giddy school girl.
Remember, your voice is unique and your characters need to be heard, so flick the self-doubt off the sundae and write…

21 comments:

  1. Great post and so true. Doubt is an evil that most all suffer (I am sure there is someone out there that doesn't but I'm not sure I want to meet that ego, lol.)
    Some authors publish their play lists for their books. Do you?

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    1. Exactly...that would be some ego! lolz

      I didn't realize a book playlist could be published. I really like the idea though. How do you go about it?

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  2. Sounds like you need a new topping for yur sundae, of course, I do some days too ;)
    Love your ideas, though I just can't manage #2, no matter how hard I try, lol.
    Thanks for the pep-talk, we all need that some days.

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    1. LOL...some days that cherry just isn't what it used to be. lol ;) Editing at the end is very difficult...most of the time I think I'm totally broken of it, and then I'll catch myself (like this morning) correcting misspelled words. Oops!

      Glad you enjoyed the post!

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  3. Karen, you hit it on the nail head. I too create a playlist and try to edit at the end. It is important to finish a work once started and very easy to get distracted. Thanks for putting us back on track.

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    1. Hi Toni! Thank you for stopping by and for the feedback. I love the idea of a playlist. It changed my entire mindset when I started making them...snaps me right back into the story. :D

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  4. Quoting Sylvia Plath? You know what happened to her, don't you?

    Self-doubt plagues all creative people.

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    1. Hm...I don't know what happened to her. But now I will consult Google! ;)

      Self-doubt is definitely a plague...wouldn't it be nice if there was a magic word to make it disappear? lol

      Thank you for stopping by!

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  5. No music for me. I need silence. I like all your other suggestions. Turning off the self-editor is key to getting a book finished.

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    1. Hi Ella! I agree with the silence while I'm writing. :) The playlist is something I listen to in the car or doing housework...it helps me think of what will come next in the story.

      You are correct...that self-editor switch is the key to finishing the book. :)

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

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  6. What a great post. Thank you. I needed this!

    Nikki

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    1. Hi Nikki! Glad it was helpful! :) Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting.

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  7. Very good advice, Karen! I think we are plagued with self-doubt as writers and it is up to us to stomp on it and keep writing! Thanks for the inspiration!

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    1. Thanks Jennifer! I appreciate the feedback. :) You are right, we gotta stomp on it and keep the fingers flying over the keyboard!!

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  8. Wonderful post. Writing is a roller-coaster just like life itself.

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    1. Hi Maggie! Thanks for stopping by and commenting. :) I agree...definitely a wild ride!

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  9. I have never cared for cherries, so getting rid of this one will be no hardship. LOL But self-doubt is a hard one to shake sometimes. Who cannot help but doubt themselves sometimes, especially when things go wrong. Your ideas about working through it are great advice. I manage to only read about a page or so before starting to write on the WIP, just to give me a running start. Finishing a book hasn't been a problem until lately, when I got slammed by life. I'm hoping to finish one up tonight and sail into revisions tomorrow. Dream no small dream! Great post!

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    1. Thanks Jenna! So true that self-doubt is a hard one to shake. But we just keep trying...even when it comes back! ;) Wow, that is great that you only read a page before starting to write on your WIP! I'm totally with you on life...seems like there is always way too much to do! lol Good luck with the WIP and revisions tonight! Thank you for stopping by and commenting!

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  10. Terrific post. Sometimes Negative Nancy gets put on his by negative others. I think it's important to know how to steer away both from our own self-doubts and those that belong to others.

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    1. Thanks Jenny! That is very true, steering away from the self-doubt of others is so important. And also realizing how what we say and do affects others. I've found that making a conscious effort to keep a positive attitude (even if sometimes I falter) helps me to keep Negative Nancy at bay. I appreciate you stopping by and commenting. :)

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  11. What's the one thing in this world that's useless? Self doubt indeed!! Why do you keep something that will never do you any good right? Acceptance and love for self should always be our armor for this.

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