As a newbie writer, one of my recurrent problems is insecurity. In any career, we want to know that we are reaching goals and improving our skills. So writing isn't any different. We want to know our writing is moving forward and we are heading towards mastering the different techniques.
So this insecurity doesn't only affect newbie unpublished writers who don't even have the approval of editors or the audience, but also well-known authors. If you're on twitter, you will often hear popular (even best-seller) authors express their fears when their new book is about to come out and some won't even read Amazon reviews in case they find negative and hurtful criticism.
However, I think it is this insecurity that forces us to make a greater effort. Not only in writing, but in any other area of interest too. Living with the fear that what we do is not enough or sufficiently good will push us to better ourselves. Overconfidence can lead people to slack in their efforts and the outcome can be disastrous however good author you may have been in the past.
I'm using my insecurity to push me to read and learn more about writing and hopefully improve a little bit more every time. And there are so many blogs out there with excellent ideas on how to improve your writing, there is an endless source of improvement.
Do you now feel confident about your writing? When do you feel satisfied with your work?
I don't feel confident about my writing but I sometimes feel happy with a story that I've written. That doesn't mean to say I'm satisfied with it, simply that I like how it turned out or I've been surprised by how it developed. I could tinker with it forever after, though, so doubt if I'll ever be satisfied with something I wrote.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping that's a good sign. Like you say, Sarah, I think if I always strive to improve, that can only benefit my writing.
It's so-so. Sometimes I have confident days, sometimes not. But like you said, even multi-published well-known authors continue to have doubts! But if you keep going and moving forward despite those doubts and insecurites- that, I think, is confidence!
ReplyDeleteAs you say, even a published writer will still worry about critiques,sales, her next novel. We're never quite sure whether our writing will hit the mark with others and even if it does, will it be published? We have to do it just because we love to and then hope for the best.
ReplyDeleteI'll feel confident with a piece while I'm writing it and it's only later (usually when someone else starts reading it) that I'll realise it's a complete pile of pooh. And then the real fear sets in - will I ever write another book? Or even a coherent shopping list?
ReplyDeleteWhat a timely post because I'm facing this right now! I'm with Jane - I think it's pretty good when I'm writing it, but once it's almost done I start to get palpitations!
ReplyDeleteI feel confident that I can write well, though I don't necessarily always feel confident about what I'm writing at the moment.
ReplyDeleteI suffer from bursts of disbelief in myself, some bigger than others. Then I read the rubbish written by some people and I think, at least I'm a bit better than that. Then I think, but am I? I might be totally deluded. Then I think, I have been published... but maybe I just got lucky... I go round in the circle every day and it DOES push me to try harder. Great post, Sarah.
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This is very interesting, because when I was revising novel 2 the insecurity you talk about spurred me day after day when I felt like quitting. Not only that, I wanted the highest possible standard, after all, the reader has your fate as a writer in their hands.
ReplyDeleteI usually write what is in my head, and at the time I don't think about whether I like it or not as I just feel the need to get it out of my head and on to the paper/screen. After that, when I click on 'post' (on my blog) or 'send' to send off an email, that is when I start to fear the responses. I'm fairly sure that will never change for me.
ReplyDeleteI NEVER feel completely confident. There's always a little self-doubt or worry. Okay, a lot of self-doubt and worry. LOL
ReplyDeleteI'm also so-so. Sometimes I feel like I'm top notch, other times I wonder why I bother. I think everyone has days like these, and that's okay as long as there are more of the positive days:)
ReplyDeleteI so understand what you mean. My biggest problem is letting the insecurity stop me from writing...finding all manner of displacement activity to avoid sitting down to move the plot forward.
ReplyDeleteI think it goes with the territory! I thought being published would be the ultimate confidence booster but it just takes you to a different level of insecurity!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Chris. Now there's so much more to be insecure about. Not just my own doubts and my writing group's comments, but also reviews and sales and whether I'm blogging/twittering/promoting enough and whether with all the blogging/twittering/promoting to do, I'll ever have time to write again!
ReplyDeleteYou should always be confident about your writing, even if you haven't been published. As long as you take the time to write whenever you can, you are a writer.
ReplyDeleteYep, insecurity can get us to improve, but for a lot of people, it can get them to procrastinate or just stop altogether. I procrastinate on days when I don't feel like writing, but when I do feel like it, I feel more confident in my abilities than usual.
ReplyDeleteI never feel ashamed! Sometimes defeated, sometimes overwhelmed, not exactly feeling good enough but then I hop on the blog and realize that it's normally around the same time as at least ONE other blogger and then I know it's alright. A huge step in the writing process is going through the 'hate it' stage... we're creative people, and sometimes over dramatic!
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
Thank you all so much for your comments. It feels so good to know it's normal to feel insecure. I can't wait to feel the post-publishing insecurity.
ReplyDeleteIt's true I sometimes read my own work and I'm happily surprised by what I read whereas others I feel like running away in horror, but it's the happy surprises that keep me going.
sarah. I still feel like a fraud on many days and I still feel insecure!
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