You’re a Writer if You Doubt Your Writing Skills
Doubt is a part of the learning process
Even if you have written hundreds of articles, that feeling of unworthiness keeps lurking in the back of your mind.
And only writers who happen to fight with the sudden push and pull of their thoughts to produce something amazing can encounter such a feeling.
Anyone can write, so much so anyone can become a doctor, engineer, or film director. But what sets apart an ordinary individual from an extraordinary achiever is the mindset.
And the mindset full of doubts and skepticism is a trait of great writers.
How?
Stay with me.
You will rarely find a writer saying that they are an exceptional writer. But those who have never written a single word in their life claim that writing is so easy. All you have got to sprinkle some letters here and there on the screen and you’ll get the post ready to be published.
They don’t know the grind and drill behind composing stellar prose where every word merits its position where every sentence flows effortlessly and where readers don’t find difficulty in making the logical sense behind every argument.
After writing hundreds of articles in my writing career, I still feel the niggling sensation about the fact that I’m not doing enough. I still doubt my writing skills.
I still feel that something is missing in my writing. This doubt and skepticism are what allow me to put deliberate effort into making the prose from dull and boring to good and brilliant.
Even if you are good at your craft, you still feel that you’re not doing enough. Which is a helpful clue that you’re going in the right direction.
This brings us to a quote by Charles Bukowski…
The problem with the world is that intelligent people are full of doubts, while stupid ones are full of confidence.
This doesn’t call for that confidence is a bad thing. It’s essential to make incredible strides in your life, in fact. When this confidence transcends the threshold of humility, it starts blurring your attitude toward learning something new and halts your productivity.
When you start considering that you know everything, you enter into a bubble of self-obsession that leaves little to no room for improvement.
Doubt in your writing skills becomes inevitable when you hold yourself to impossibly high standards and expect your writing to be flawless from the first draft. This doesn’t mean you cannot aim to manifest something extraordinary.
What it means is that doubt is part of the process. It’s totally fine if you compare your work to that of other writers you admire and feel inadequate in comparison. This is particularly true not for only new or emerging writers who are still finding their voice and style but also for seasoned writers as well.
Finally…
There is no denying that writing is a vulnerable act, and writers may worry that their work won’t be well received by readers or publishers. This fear of rejection can lead to self-doubt and a lack of confidence in one’s writing abilities.
The fear of rejection is totally acceptable as long as you don’t allow it to overpower you. It’s all about balance. How you carry yourself despite all this fear and doubt is all that matters. The key here is you need not be overly critical of your own work and focus only on the flaws rather than the strengths.
It’s important for writers to remember that self-doubt is a common experience and that it doesn’t necessarily reflect the quality of their writing.
By recognizing and addressing the underlying causes of self-doubt, writers can cultivate greater ability in their skills and enjoy the process of writing.
Thanks for your precious time!
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