Banishing the Doubt Monster

Sometimes when I talk to writing groups or do school visits, I talk about how HARD writing is. I tend to go on an on about it actually--and one of the main reasons I say it’s difficult is because of the Inner Critique, or as I call it: The Doubt Monster.

You know this creature. It’s the voice whispering that you suck. That you got lucky with the first book because your prose sucks, your characters suck, your plot sucks, and your theme.... wait. What’s theme again?

Anyway, the reason I harp on this point is not to discourage people (especially not kids.) What I want to emphasize is that writing is hard. It’s hard for me. It’s hard for new writers. It’s hard for writers with four series under their belts. What I want people to know (because I’d have loved to understand this when I was just getting started) is that having your own personal Doubt Monster is normal. The superpower that a writer must possess in order to defeat said monster is passion. If you love writing enough, you will overcome the fear of suck. You will write despite the Doubt Monster.

Now, that said, here are a few strategies I employ that help. Sometimes.

The Day Off – This is basically a non-work day, but it’s important. Sometimes the Inner Critic is loudest when you’re spending a whole lot of time with yourself. Get out. Go see a movie. Go for a walk. Take a freaking deep breath. We’re talking about books here, people. It’s supposed to be fun, not torture. (Although I’d argue that it’s often both.) Perspective, guys. Good to have.

The Sandbox Document – Open another document and free-write. Seriously. Really free-write. The less sense it makes the better. Riff on your own work, or tell yourself a little story. WHATEVER. Just get your hands in the sand and build a castle. It doesn’t have to be pretty. It just has to remind you that you CAN build castles.

The Altar – We all have an altar of favorite books. Mine includes books by the Muses, Neil Gaiman, Kristin Cashore, Dave Eggers, and so on. Pull a book off the altar shelf and read, and you will see that all they are doing is putting word after word, just like you. There is no magic to it. There is only passion, artistry, and persistence—and guess what? You have those, so get back to work.

The Mantra – Stand in front of a mirror and tell yourself a hundred times that you do not suck…. I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I’ve never done this. But see? I was sort of dreading this post, doubting myself, in truth, because who am I to say I can defeat the Doubt Monster? And now I’m having so much fun in the sandbox that I’m just making stuff up.

Bottom line: Do whatever takes the edge off and makes that critique a little quieter, and then cowboy up. 

Wait… Was that harsh? I meant it to be inspiring.