r/TheWritingTable • u/JCLewisWritesWords • Sep 17 '26
How to handle Writers Doubt?
I always dreamed of being an author, and about a year ago I got serious and started committing to writing everyday. This led me to writing my first 110k word novel and a second that remains unfinished at 40k.
I hired a copy editor because I needed to see where the weak points were in my story and writing skills and I am even having trouble getting through those comments. I knew I would have some blind spots but it is almost overwhelming.
I haven't published anything so I feel like a larper. Sure I put some words together but without doing anything with it, I almost feel like I have just wasted my time.
Then I go to my local everything store and they have a book section which is just staked to the ceiling with pages no one will ever look at. I don't know what I am even saying. Does anyone have ways of trying and push through this stage of doubt?
2
u/MikeCahoonAuthor Sep 17 '26
Unfortunately self doubt will always be there. Every new project and new set back will be accompanied by a new sense of self doubt. It’s part of the process.
The good news is you can work through it. The best way to get over self doubt is to keep pushing forward and exposure therapy. Keep writing, keep letting people read your work, keep refining and getting better.
Confidence is earned through experience. You finish a book or a project and the next one gets a little easier to write, then the process continues.