Lacking Confidence Shouldn’t Stop You From Writing That Book Within You

So the thought of writing that book might be rolling around inside your head, but you’re lacking confidence to actually start? You have far too many doubts pushing aside any possibility you’ll actually produce something readable.  Well, I’m here to suggest now is the time to ignore those doubts.  Take a deep breath and launch yourself head first into a writing frenzy.

Don’t wait. Don’t procrastinate. Don’t let that lacking confidence stop you. Ignore thoughts like – will people laugh at my audacity or refuse to take my writing seriously? Will my writing be worthwhile? Will anyone want to read what I’ve written? That fear might never leave you, so don’t sit back and wait for it to disappear before you begin writing.

You will surely join thousands of other writers who continue to wonder if they are good enough. No matter how many books an author has written, there is no guarantee each new one will be accepted for publication. These writers continue to have many of the same doubts but refuse to stop writing.

I had no writing background to call upon when I began my foray into story writing. I have no English or journalism degree. I’d never attempted to write a short story or article. The closest I’d ever been, other than playing at writing stories as a teenager, was compiling a newsletter for the Navy women’s Association.

I can’t particularly remember what spurned me to actually take that leap of faith and join Loree Lough’s “How to write a romance” class.  Possibly my daughter suggesting I was allowing my brain to stagnate had a lot to do with it. But I’ve been so thankful I did. I discovered I could weave a story together. But more important, I discovered others enjoyed reading that story. But there was still a huge gap between my dream of being a romance writer and actually holding my head up among my peers. For a number of years I continued to doubt my ability, be fearful of sniggers from both writers and non-writers, and wonder if I could indeed write another story worth reading.

Being a writer is not easy. Despite many who assume writing a book, particularly a romance book, is something one can just sit down and do without any training, they are so wrong. There are many rules and guidelines which must be followed and a budding writer needs to learn these. But relax, you can ferret out details of whatever rules apply to your chosen genre, and learn much of what is necessary by attending conferences and workshops, either in person or on-line.  The internet and your local library is full of how-to-write books and articles. Use the experience of others to build up your knowledge and confidence.

The gap between your dream and the reality of calling yourself a writer is yours to narrow. Take the idea by the throat and go for it.