It can be depressing to be negative all the time. Life can be unfair, but then the world doesn’t owe us anything. A simple existential observation of life’s unpredictable events can be summed up in two words: Shit happens. This weighs upon our shoulders even more when we think that the media feeds the populace with success stories because this is what people want to hear and see. Nobody is concerned about failures. Victory parties exist, and if you have ever attended a failure party, do let me know.

Creative endeavors are filled with stories of artists who dabble in self-doubt. Writers are often susceptible to feeling that their works don’t cut the mustard. Self-doubt besets them and this feeling gnaws on them long into their writing careers.

Self-doubt is a choice. When a writer questions his own competence, self-doubt takes control and it consumes him. They say that an artist, to realize the fullness of his pursuit, must experience all forms of human emotions in order to have a better understanding of what makes humanity tick, and this will show in his writing. Sometimes, this self-doubt is what triggers writers to keep pushing themselves to greater heights. Even at the peak of their careers when the world has already recognized their genius, there are writers who continue to doubt themselves.

If you are ever experiencing self-doubt, you are not alone. John Steinbeck brushed off the praises he received from his work. In his journal entry, he wrote that he is not a writer and that he had been fooling himself and other people. In her journal entries and letter to friends, George Eliot wrote about her diffidence and self-doubt on a number of occasions. In her autobiography, A Backward Glance, Edith Wharton expressed her doubts about her ability to write. A slew of other prominent writers is also known to cast doubts on their own abilities while envying or hating other writers for their rightful success.  

Picture this scene: The laptop with its glaring screen waits for the next words that will come.  You type the words that pop out of your head. You reread the paragraph you just finished, and your forehead starts to wrinkle. You erase the paragraph and then writer’s block kicks in. You stand or pace while drinking coffee. You caress your sleeping cat who yawns and expresses a lack of interest. You start to work from where you left off, and then you gnash your teeth. You run your fingers through your hair and lean back in your chair. “I’m not very good at this. I’m probably gonna churn out something crappy.” You sit there staring at your laptop until you fall asleep feeling sorry for yourself.

This can happen to you or not. If you wallow in self-doubt, you create a problem for yourself that is not exactly there, to begin with. Re-assess your objectives and ask yourself why you chose to be a writer. You chose this solitary profession because you know that you can do it and because it is rewarding in some respects. If you let self-doubt hamper your productivity, you will never know what kind of great story you are capable of creating. Face the struggle because struggling to create something is far better than struggling over nothing.