Overcoming Insecurity

Overcoming Insecurity 

courtesy of www.bookreferees.com

“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.” – Sylvia Plath

Like many, I am the type of writer who sits at their desk for endless hours, tapping my pen on the table listening to the little “voice” in my head: “This is terrible.”, “That doesn’t sound right”, “Why do you even bother writing?” and I find myself getting more and more frustrated. I finally come up with a few paragraphs, jot them down frantically then end up screw the paper up and chuck it behind me an anger-fuelled rage.

The biggest problem we have, as writers, is that we are insecure and we struggle to believe in ourselves enough. We let the little “voice” in our heads take over and end up giving up easily and decide to procrastinate. We watch television, cook, clean, shower. Anything to distract ourselves away from focusing on anything relating to writing.  

Another problem many writers have is the fact that they can’t handle negative feedback. This is because writers care about what people think of their work and hope that the reader gets as much enjoyment from reading their literary work as they do from writing it. However, this is an unrealistic expectation that writers put on themselves because in life not everyone is going to like what you write. The point is you got get back up and keep punching that ‘literary punchbag’ til’ you become the champion of the book publishing industry.

There are ways to overcome these insecurities and start picking up that pen more often and start writing again.

1. Recognise the Voice – This may sound like a ludicrous idea but becoming aware of the little person in your head actually may help. Personally, I recommend keep a notepad and pen next to you when you write. Whenever, you feel insecure, write down what the “voice” is saying.
2.  Finding your Perfect Reader – If you try to write for everyone, you are unlikely to overcome your insecurities. You will feel pressured into attempting to satisfy them all. It may be handy to have a picture near your writing area to help inspire you. (To read more about ‘Writing For Someone You Know’ click here)
3. Journal your Insecurity – My final tip is to using writing itself as a way of overcoming insecurity. Write down a continuous stream of words that comes into your mind for a solid length of time. Just let all the insecurity and self-doubt run free through your body down to your fingers.

Overcoming self-doubt is not an easy thing to accomplish, but the better you can cope with it, the more writing you can put out into a wider audience. It isn't about perfection. It’s about providing value.

Good luck & keep on writing away!