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How To Feel Good About Your Writing

By on January 6, 2018
How To Feel Good About Your Writing - Writer's Life.org

As writers, we all know how easy it is to be critical of our work. In fact, often we are our own worst enemies when it comes to bashing our confidence as writers.

While it’s good to try and push yourself and be a bit of a perfectionist in your work, too much self-criticism quickly leads to self-doubt and if we don’t nip it in the bud, it can mean that we begin to give up on our writing altogether.

Writing is hard work; there is no denying it. However, it should be enjoyable too. If you don’t enjoy your writing and always find it a painful struggle full of fear and self-loathing and doubt, you’ve got to ask yourself, is it worth it?

Feeling good about your writing is important, and here’s how to start doing so!

Believe that you are a writer. Truly knowing that you are a writer and accepting that will help you to gain in confidence and self-belief. Say it to yourself in front of the mirror, say it when people ask ‘what do you do?’ The more you tell yourself and others, the more it will ring true, and the more you feel like a writer, the more positive you will feel and the more writing you'll want to do.

End the worry. Writers waste so much of their time fretting about things they cannot change or worrying that they are somehow doing it ‘wrong.’ Try to let go of the fears, accept that they are not helping you and know that there are many different ways writers become successful, not just one right way - so you can get there, in whichever way feels comfortable for you.

Remind yourself of the reasons why you write. Whenever you feel as though you might be having a crisis of confidence, try to remember why you want to write in the first place. It is a good idea to write these reasons down and stick them up somewhere you can see them. Remembering what inspires you is a powerful motivator and can help keep you on the right track,

Prioritise your writing. It’s hard to feel good about your writing if you keep procrastinating or letting other things take over. It’s hard to feel good about your writing if you don’t write! So next time you are feeling uncertain, really be honest with yourself about how dedicated to your writing you are and figure out how you can make it a priority in your life once more.

Get a reliable support network. Surround yourself with people who are positive, energetic, motivating and inspiring. These people will help keep you on the right track and pick you up when you aren’t feeling good about your writing.

Stop being jealous. It’s difficult not to feel envious when some writers just seem to ‘get lucky'. But jealousy isn’t going to make you a better writer or increase your chances of success, and will end up eating away at you and making you miserable in the long run. So stop comparing yourself to others and focus on your own goals and self-improvement instead.

Get a thicker skin and a better sense of humour! Rejection happens to everyone so just learn how to deal with it, get over it and move on. Also, it’s worth trying to find humour in bad situations and keeping a positive mindset. If we take ourselves and our writing too seriously we could end up sucking all the enjoyment out of it.

Keep learning new things. When it comes to writing there is so much to learn. So keep exploring and experimenting, and you’ll be surprised at what you learn and how much you improve too.

If you are feeling down about your writing, try the tips above. If you keep practising them and incorporating them into your writing routine, you’ll soon start to feel happier and more confident about your writing, which will inspire you to write even more!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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