Writing is an act of faith, not a grammar trick.”
E.B. White, Writer
For those who have been writing for any length of time, you know doubts are the creepy voices invading our heads. We start to create something amazing, and that uninvited, annoying voice tells us we’re wrong, we don’t know what we’re doing, and why bother?
Writing professionally helps to keep those voices on mute, but even then, the voice rips off the tape from our lips and start mocking us.
Why do the doubts taunt us? And how can we silence them so we do not give up on our creativity?
Why doubts taunt us
The easiest reply is that doubts began to speak to us in the form of other humans from an early age. Whether our parents, siblings, classmates in kindergarten class during our cookie breaks, and beyond, any semblance of happiness we showed was squelched with a negative comment. Over time, those comments followed and grew louder.
English class throughout our school years was both a blessing and a creativity destroyer. So many rules to follow with punctuation, essays, and storytelling, that we focused more on the semicolon rather than writing for character development.
Then opinions started to become law—“write what you know,” “show, don’t tell,”—that our creativity began to suffer out of concern for breaking said “law.”
We become consumed by others’ opinions of our work, whether seeking constructive criticism from ones who really do not understand “constructive,” or validation from ones who question why we chose to write “that story” in the first place.
And what happens?
When we write, alone in our offices or garden, the voices are still there. And instead of screaming back: “who do you think you are?” we instead accept the voice as knowing more than we do.
We’re perfectionists. We cannot help it. We desire our work to be good and accepted. And while there is nothing wrong with striving to make our stories as great as we can, we need to be careful we do not allow that journey to become muddied in the waters of doubt.
How to silence doubts
There truly is no way to turn off what has been ingrained in us since childhood. However, what we can control is how to manage these voices and seeds of doubt so they do not consume us, or interfere with our creativity.
First, as writers, we need to give ourselves credit for the knowledge and experience we have tucked in our brains. When we write, we are simply organizing the files of our thoughts to make said thoughts cohesive. We know more than we realize.
That “write what you know” is not far from the truth. And often, we do write about places, people, and events we have experienced. Even if you write fantasy or science fiction, for example, a lot of what you are writing comes from what you understand. When you write characters (in any genre) you might base their personalities and mannerisms on your own, or those of people you have encountered.
So give yourself grace. You know more about what you are writing than your reader.
Second, start writing with the aim of letting the story flow. Get everything out, even if some of what you write does not make sense initially. Don’t become bogged down with research and facts. Just write.
Often, while I write, I might have a question about something. Instead of stopping to find the answer, I’ll make a note on the page, or simply add question marks. I can always fill in the blanks later.
After you write your draft, let it rest for a few days, then go back and edit to make it cohesive. Editing is part of our craft, and often the most artistic because we refine our phrases, and thoughts, and scenes.
We write because we love stories. And if we allow ourselves to enjoy the journey, without worrying about rules and structure, we don’t have the room in our heads for those negative voices.
Finally, read others’ works or watch movies. When I have my moments of self-doubt, it means I’m listening to the rejections and long-time voices too much. Reading other authors and watching movies give me a different perspective on quality writing. I pick apart the writing and screenplays. I edit in my head how I would write the book or screenplay, especially when I notice gaps or shallow characters. This reminds me that (1) no one is perfect and yet they get published, so I have a shot and (2) the learning opportunities merely help me fine-tune my own work.
Only you know your story best
Remember, even if you’re writing about a subject others have written, only you know your own story the best. You have your unique point of view (POV) and slant on how the story should be told. And it should be told from your perspective. No one else can do that for you.
And if it means breaking rules, well, weren’t rules made to be broken?
Really—what do those negative voices know anyway? Not as much as you. So embrace your knowledge and creativity.
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