Anna Staniszewski

I had someone ask me recently if self doubt was part of the writing process, to which I replied with a resounding “Yes!” I’d say that besides actual writing, doubting oneself is probably the number two occupation of a writer. Why? Well, first off I think in order to be a writer you have to be kind of a sensitive person to begin with. Also, so much of writing is judged by other people – once something leaves your hands, its future depends on what others think of it. And finally, I think the self doubt comes from the fact that often writers are the last ones to see the good and bad of their own writing. It’s like when you have an accent but you’re the only one who can’t hear it – or you’re tone deaf, but to you it sounds like you’re singing just fine. This is not to say that it’s impossible to have perspective on your own work, but when you’re so close to it, it’s certainly a challenge. That’s why it’s often a good thing to step away from whatever you’re working on, do something completely different for a while, and then come back. Maybe then you can finally look at the piece as a reader instead of a writer. Then a whole new set of judgments come into play and we’re back to self doubt again. How do you shake it off? You keep writing! Because really that’s the one thing you can control. You might not be able to silence the doubting voices in your head, you certainly can’t influence what others think of your work, but you can be in charge of when, where, and how much you write. And if those voices in your head start saying “What’s the point? Why bother?” you’ll be typing so loudly that you might not even hear them.