Doubt: Your Best Friend or Worst Enemy?

 I’ve always said a little dose of uncertainty is healthy, and I stand by that. It keeps you humble, it makes you challenge yourself to become better at your craft, and it keeps you questioning. I think those are exceptional traits in all people, not just authors. What defines a little dose, though? A fair question, I think.

Healthy doubt:

When I say a little dose of doubt, I’m referring to the voice in your head that questions your decisions. Think about a time when you were pressured by your peers to do something, and the little voice inside your brain talked you out of it. “Yo, knucklehead, maybe diving off this bridge headfirst isn’t such a great idea. That water below looks a little shallow.” Or the time you were late to work and driving faster than necessary and that little voice told you to slow it down because it’s better to arrive late than not at all. You should listen to that same voice when it comes to writing and publishing. If it feels wrong; it probably is. Ask someone you trust for an opinion if you’re still unsure. You have many options—critique partner, alpha reader, beta reader, editor, sensitivity readers, and so on.

Unhealthy Doubt:

When does the doubt become unhealthy? When the 2 a.m. coulda, shoulda, wouldas hit you hard and prevent you from sleeping. Yeah, maybe you could’ve, should’ve, and would’ve done something differently if you’d only known. Now you do and can avoid the same mistake. Forgive yourself, and if necessary, ask someone else for forgiveness. Then do your best to move past it.

There’s also a big difference between doubting a scene in a book or a character’s personality traits and questioning your place in the writing community. One of these things is much easier to appease than the other, but all hope isn’t lost. This is when you need to take a big step back, breathe, and reassess. You most likely need a writing and social media break to remember the other things that make you happy in life. It’s incredible how much better you feel after remembering that writing books, as much as we love it, isn’t the be-all and end-all. You also need a good friend who will listen and understand what you’re going through. Writing is such an isolating career that we’re convinced no one else has experienced the doubts and struggles we wrestle with. I promise you that isn’t the case, and you’re really not alone. And in case you need to hear this: you do belong.

I know this piece is short, but I hope it helps someone struggling with the coulda, shoulda, wouldas right now. Until next time, happy reading!

xoxoxo