Three Quick Creative Tools to Transform Self Doubt to Confidence to Write Your Book

Self-doubt. Most writers - even established authors - face it at some point as they write a book - then repeat visit it throughout their writing jou
eys.

You know this voice. It may whisper or rant words like:

-That is too vulnerable or difficult for me to write.

-My writing is not good enough to complete a book. Not universal enough. No one is interested in my perspective, in my teeny-tiny story. My story is too ordinary. Too extraordinary. Too shallow. Too challenging. Too controversial. Not controversial enough. No one will believe it.

-Whatever made me think I had what it takes to write a book?

-I'm going to fail. Everyone will reject what I write.

The self-doubter often teams up with the inner critic. While the inner critic negates, the self-doubter believes what the critic says. A perfect double punch to the gut and chin. Kapow.

Welcome to the world of the writer - of most creative people. Heck. Of most people. Self-doubt comes with the territory of being human. Before you publish your book, articles, poems or essays. Even after you are an accomplished author.

I can still experience it - especially when I start a project, tackle vulnerable subject matter, take on a new style or form of writing or am otherwise out of my writing, teaching or presenting comfort zone. And I can't think of one person who has been through my writing workshops or whom I've worked with as a client who has not faced at least some aspect of it during their journey to write, publicly share, publish and promote their books.

I have come to see it as one of the writing rites of passages every writer and creative person faces at some level - no matter how successful you are.

I kid you not. Watching an interview with two legendary, critically acclaimed, award-winning actresses, they admitted they have self doubt before they begin a new role, so much so they are convinced they cannot do it. As her film start day looms closer, one even calls her agent with a list of other actresses she has decided can play the role better than she can. Both have every reason to be confident about their acting ability.

Okay, folks. If acting legends - and I am sure, at least a few, writing legends - can still doubt their creative ability, what hope remains for the rest of us to eliminate it?

Not much.

Eliminating self-doubt, eliminating any of the writing challenges, is not so much the point. And if/when you do doubt, you can know you are in the company of many of the great artists of the world - and the rest of us.
In other words, you are not alone.

So don't double the drama by feeling down on yourself if you experience self-doubt - or if you experience a return attack. That's a waste of energy and time.

Instead, like Susan Jeffers wrote in her classic book about facing fear, where she said, Feel the fear and do it anyway. Here, feel the self-doubt - and do it anyway.

Write your heart out, let your art out - doubt and all.

Try these three doubt busters if doubt insinuates itself in your psyche as you write a book.

1. Listen to doubt, then say, "Thank you for your opinion. I will take it into consideration. But right now, I am going to write anyway."

2. Or, integrate the self-doubt in your material. Give it to a character. Give it a voice. Write an ode to it or a poem or an essay about it. Hug or tickle it.

3. Love yourself and your writing throughout the doubt attack. Forgive yourself for being human. But find a way to do it anyway, the writing, that is, no matter how much you doubt yourself or how much it slows you down as you write your book.

Write even when you are certain your unsavory, maggot-infested rack of self-doubt is the worst on the planet and your writing will never do what you dream it will.

Here's the benefit. Each time you move through self-doubt as a writer, transform it, you show the universe, the muses, that you are committed to this process of writing a book. You say, "I will write and will not let a little - or a lot - of self-doubt stop me."

With that arises a self- confidence that arises from authenticity, from an integration of all feelings you may or may not experience, and the introduction of a new voice in your head that can answer the self-doubt voice with its own reminder: "You got through the doubt once while you were writing your book; you can do it again."