Community Question RE: Second Guessing Yourself

AS asks: How do you not psyche yourself out or second guess yourself when writing? I think this is something that can paralyze potential writers.

This is such a multifaceted question, especially when considering how often authors might second-guess their story, as well as themselves, throughout their writing journey. But more than anything, confidence is key. The more you write, the more you understand story constructs. And the more you discover your writing voice and hone in what challenges you most, the more your confidence starts to nudge away some of that crippling fear. (This is where like-minded writing friends can be helpful!)

First of all...

It's natural to let fear inch its way in when we're out of our comfort zone. Writing a book is no exception to this because we're exposing ourselves to ridicule. As cringe-worthy as that is, it's true. If you want to publish a book, you are flaying yourself open and hoping for the best. That is a TERRIFYING feeling. Trust me, I know all about it.

But if you only focus on the fear, you miss out on the excitement of creating something. You miss out on the pride you feel completing it - of seeing your hard work become a tangible, physical thing. And you miss out on all the lessons and experiences you'll learn in between.

Looking too far ahead at the what-ifs is just another way to self-sabotage and talk yourself out of doing what you're passionate about.

TIP: Don't think big picture - think about now. Writing and publishing is a process you build off of, one step and then another. You have a lot of muscles to hone and growing to do before you're ready to hit publish anyway, so don't get ahead of yourself.