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How To Think Positively As A Writer

By on July 13, 2017
How To Think Positively As A Writer - Writer's Life.org

While there are some writers out there that seem to give off an air of quiet (or not so quiet!) confidence whenever they talk about their writing, for most of us doing so turns us into shy, stuttering fools.

The same often goes for how we talk to ourselves about our writing. We can be our own worst enemies, putting ourselves down, knocking our own confidence and, in the worst cases, bullying ourselves into stopping writing altogether.

It’s funny to think about the things we’ve said to ourselves, things we would never, in a million years dream of saying to our fellow writers who instead we support, egg on and big up in any way we can.

So how can we turn this around? As Aristotle said:

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

We are, therefore, in some ways, a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we repeatedly tell ourselves we are not good enough, we might never be. However, if we repeatedly tell ourselves that we are, we might just be!

So how do you stay positive as a writer? Here are some ways to do it!

Keep your compliments close by

Whenever you get a good review or receive a compliment about your work, save it, write it down, make a little box of them. Whatever you want, but keep them close at hand and when you are suffering from the writer's blues take them out and read them over.

Get a thicker skin

Writing involves being tough and brave. Tell yourself you are both these things, act like it, and don’t let anyone, including yourself, get you down. Be fierce, pushy and totally committed to your writing. Think of yourself as a warrior and be proud of your battle wounds!

Let yourself daydream, and believe

When you were a kid you believed you could do anything. Writers need that childlike sense of ‘anything is possible’ to stay positive. Really imagine yourself getting what you want, feel it, get excited about it, dare to believe!

Remember rejection happens to everyone

A rejection is just a sign that you are a real writer - remember that! Don’t let your rejections get you down, it just means that you’ve got to the stage where your book is ready for publication - so many people don’t get that far, so be proud of yourself instead!

Know the best is yet to come

If you haven’t achieved all your dreams and goals then your best writing days are still ahead of you - how great it that?!

Write down and repeat these positive affirmations

Writing satisfies my soul

I know my readers, and I know they will love my book

My desire to write will always overcome my self-doubt

Writing fills me with joy

My imagination is wonderful and magical and I am so grateful I get to use it every single day!

I am a great, undiscovered writer, one day my time will come!

Each day I write I get better and better and closer to achieving my dreams!

I am committed to writing, and I’ll never give up.

Writing is all about staying positive and having the passion and the confidence to truly believe in yourself - don’t waste any more time feeling negative and uncertain about your writing, it gets you nowhere! Stay positive, keep working and you’ll be staying true to yourself - what could be better than that?

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

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

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