Setting Self Doubt on Fire: Let’s begin the Fight

“I want to be a writer!”

Those are the words that still haven’t left my mouth, the thought is there hidden among a cloud of confusion, but deep down I know I’m not confused. I know exactly what I want to do, so why can’t I say it? I’ll tell you why, it’s because of that Self Doubt guard blocking me from entering Writer’s Paradise. Instead of forcing my way through, I cower away and allow myself to linger in limbo. Does this sound like you? If so, then this is the blog post for you because I’m SETTING SELF DOUBT ON FIRE! I’m punching him in the gut and kicking him in the head (this is imaginary I can’t get my leg up that high), until I can finally enter the realms of a writer who believes in themselves. However, I’m not doing this alone; I want you all to join me on this important fight.

Who am I? You ask. Well my name’s Nicole, Pinky to my friends (I just love pink), and Nicole J. Simms (for now) to my readers (potential). I’ve been on this writing journey over a year now, and what an amazing journey it’s been. I’ve written numerous stories (they just keep coming), developed my skills, had two stories published (soon to be 3), and currently planning my first novel. Being published twice isn’t a lot, I mean I’m not a bestselling author, but for someone who never thought they would EVER get published, this success is bloody bostin (very good).

I never saw myself writing again, I thought I’d be a talented Web Designer because for me writing didn’t seem realistic. It was a dream, a beautiful dream, but a dream all the same. So while I pursued my ‘sensible’ career, writing became a distant memory. That was until everything fell apart, my career goals became unrealistic and I fell into darkness, for the first time in my life (I’m only 25 but that’s still a lot of life) I was lost. So with nothing to lose, I returned to my old passion, and by surprise, it was still very much alive waiting to be unleashed. It was by chance that I found my first creative writing course, I can’t really remember what happened but all I know is that I needed something to help fill my time and stop me stressing. I have to admit writing again was the best decision I could have made because it gave me a positive focus, a goal and a purpose and I have never felt so alive.

That’s enough about me, if you do however want to know more about my writing journey the ups and the downs, check out my blog. http://www.nicoles-designs.co.uk/NicoleJSimms/

So how does all this relate to my post, well even though I’m doing well with my writing I still have that heavy feeling, a feeling that has on many occasions blocked me from my writing goals. This is why I’m on a mission to destroy self-doubt. However, before we can challenge Mr Self Doubt, we need to recognise some of the lies he tells us, so just for you I’ve come up with the top 5.

The Lies of Mr Self Doubt

1. You can’t handle rejection: Learning to deal with rejection is one of the most important things as a writer because if you let it your fear of rejection will stop you from your goals. I stopped writing for months just because of rejection. But this is something that you can improve on, and there are many reasons for rejection, it’s not always because your story is bad. So while rejection stings you mustn’t let it stop you from your writing dream.
2. You were never good at English, so how can you write – call the grammar police: This is defiantly not a good enough reason not to write. There are tools out there that can help you with spelling and grammar, courses you can take to improve your skills. If you have a friend or relative who is the King/Queen of grammar, ask them to check your manuscripts for you, depending on the person a bribe might be needed especially if they don’t like horror.
3. No one will ever publish your work, and editors will laugh at you: No one and I mean no one can know what the future holds. So many authors thought the same and look at them now. There’s a chance you can be one of them, and a chance is all you need. If you are not fussed about being published, you can do it yourself, even though I’m sure Mr Self Doubt will have something to say about that.
4. You’re not good enough: I like to use this saying “What I’ve done is better than my last, but not better than my next.” This means that yeah your first story might be dodgy but as you continue to write, you will improve, especially if you are committed to becoming a better writer. You just have to have faith in yourself.
5. You’re too busy for pipe dreams: This is a regular excuse not to write. But how can you know how far you can go with this writing adventure, if you do not make time to write. You want to write, well make time. Stop thinking, start writing!

Since I’m a Libra I like balance, I’m not sure that’s actually true about all Librans, but hey that’s me. So to balance it all out, let’s look at the top 5 reasons why Mr Self Doubt is wrong.

Why Mr Self Doubt is wrong?

1. You’re committed: Even the best writer in the world won’t get anywhere if they are not committed. So if you are prepared to put in the hard work and this is what you want to do then go for it. Your hard work will eventually pay off, sometimes I have trouble believing this myself, but deep down I know it’s true.
2. It’s your dream: Everyone is allowed to have a dream. Why shouldn’t you hope to become a writer? Why aren’t you allowed your dream when others are? If this is your dream then you keep doing it because there is no reason for you not to.
3. You’ve had good feedback or been published: Even small publishing success is a start, and it gets you out there catching the attention of readers. Even if you haven’t been published, if a story has traumatised your friends or relatives (horror), made them cry (emotional pieces), or laugh until it hurts then you are on your way.
4. You know your characters better than you know yourself: If you have characters following you (imaginary not real people) begging to be part of a story then you better do it. Give them a stage and let them perform.
5. It’s your passion: Last but not least, if you’re at your happiest when you write, if it gives your life a purpose then you keep doing it because even though this may seem an unrealistic dream, life is too short to not do what makes you happy, to not do what makes you feel alive.

So there you have it 5 lies and 5 reasons to tell Mr Self Doubt to jog on (get lost). That’s it for now, I hope you’re all ready for this fight because it’s not going to be an easy one, even as a write this Mr Self Doubt sits and mocks me. In the meantime, for some motivation I like to direct you to a song that I like to sing When you believe by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.

So, what are you waiting for? Go write something. Let’s follow this unrealistic dream!