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You really need to have confidence in yourself and your writing to get far. We all have moments of doubt, but you need to retain some level of defiance in the face of bad reviews, stupid mistakes, and whatever else is hurled your way. People speak about needing a thick skin, which is true. Though, I’ll admit that there is a limit to what you can shrug off, so let’s not get into that chestnut of knowledge.
Confidence doesn’t stay within the realm of after you publish either. There needs to be a faith in your ability while writing. Imagine what it would be like to write your book and think everything you do is utter crap. You end every day declaring that you’re the worst author in the world. Why would you keep going if you feel this way? Only reason I can think is that you’re some kind of masochist or somebody is forcing you to do this at gunpoint. If those aren’t the case then you have to step back and do one of two things. One is the last resort of quitting, which I think should be avoided as long as you want to be an author. You can improve if you put the effort in and that’s where number two comes in. Hone your craft and find people to support you. Not blind loyalty, but those that want to help you improve and succeed. This is where you can get your confidence from if you’re lacking.
Personally, I think there’s a difference of opinion on how easy it is to gather and lose confidence. There are authors who are walls that you cannot dent and will always declare that they are talented. This is a great way to make it through the world of writing as long as you don’t develop an inability to take criticism. Still, there are those with flimsy confidence no matter what they do. Build them up and one gust of wind will knock them down no matter their talent. Remember that the world has optimists, pessimists, and everything in-between. Author Land is no different and you really shouldn’t expect everyone to have the same level of confidence. Sad fact of life, but you can make some authors worse if you take the wrong tactic.
Some ways to bolster your confidence:
- Read your positive reviews when feeling down. Not your negative reviews.
- Show your negative reviews to friends in private and let them pick them apart. Again, in private to take the sting off.
- Do writing prompts to flex your ability and get some blogger praise.
- Remember that there are more people who want to write or stop at a first draft than those who actually publish. By hitting that button, you’ve moved yourself from aspiring author to published author. That takes guts.
So, what do you do to help with your confidence and how important do you think it is?
Legends of Windemere 
I needed to read this at the moment. Some days it’s hard to remember to keep the positive! Great post 🙂
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Thanks. Think I’ll need a post like this soon. Editing is rough.
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Confidence is the only thing that keeps us doing this writing thing given all the hubris around it.
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Not to mention the barbs, whips, and spittle that gets hurled our way. We’re such abnormal heretics. 😉 Good job on using hubris today.
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Thanks. I thought it would be wasted eleswhere
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Or at least confusing to the receiver.
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Good advice!
The first thing that bolsters my confidence might seem obvious, but it bears saying: to love my story. It’s like being in love with someone. You can’t help telling someone about that person. Your voice rings with passion. Others want to read the story because you’re so sold on it.
Another thing that helps my confidence is to select beta readers I absolutely trust and who genuine like my work. Even when they find the mistakes or have questions, they provide feedback under the belief that I can make the story better.
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Beta readers are a precious commodity. Hard to get those at the start, especially those that won’t simply tear your book apart under the belief that total shredding is helpful.
Very true about loving the story too. If the author is excited about their books then it carries into the audience.
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Truthfully I have never seen myself as a talented poet/writer but a model of perseverance. When I write, I try to write fearlessly and I do this by mostly writing for an audience of Me. At the best of times I am unsure of my ability as a writer, but I am always trying to challenge myself and hone this craft. I know a lot of my insecurities with my writing stem from my lack of education and from trying to measure up to an unachievable standard. I measure myself against the literary greats, so hence I never measure up, but it doesn’t mean I stop trying, in fact it means I double down and push my boundaries as far as I can. My goal is to produce a better piece than the one that proceeded, I’m always striving for the next to be better than the last.
I swim among a sea with some really talented writers and I try to glean as much as I can from them. One day I may find that confidence of which you speak, but until then I will remain one of those masochists you mentioned.
That said there is a little voice inside of me that says I can do what I set out to do and that even if I don’t succeed I will not have failed if I keep improving.
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Sounds like you’re confident in your ability to not give up and to continue growing. That’s important too. Many people hit a plateau or constantly compare themselves to others and then stop.
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I really don’t compare myself to (or compete) any other writer, we are all so unique if we write with our own voice and not try to mimic another, it’s a bar for excellency I strive for, an example to combine the free flow of a Shakespearean sonnet with the tightness of verse of Johnson, with the elegance of the Spenserian Sonnet… would be an example for Sonnet writing… I am never going to achieve all those things, but it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t strive for them. In prose, say Erotica for example I would try to match the beauty of Nin with the crassness of Miller, for Sci-Fi and Fantasy the genius and detail of Tolkien and Herbert. The only problem is I’m only five foot ten and these greats stand a hundred feet tall, I am but a midget, but I will not be stunted in my growth… Hence with my current WIP I will be attempting to do what has not (to my knowledge) been successfully done for a full length novel… No Dialogue and No Character Names…
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Still taller than me. Curious how that WIP would operate. Written in first person?
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Omni potent third person past tense
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Ah, confidence…it’s one of those things that I tend to lack much of the time. I had enough to publish a book. But the “whoring this bad boy out” part of the process is eluding me. Really needed this post right now, and now thinking of ways to go about promotion.
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The marketing seems to be the biggest pain in the butt. It’s a change of gears from the art/creation of the process.
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Pingback: Author Life: Confidence is Key by Charles Yallowitz | theowlladyblog
Confidence is vital, but overconfidence is detrimental, I can confidently, but not overconfidently, say. 🙂
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Good point. Tis a fine line one must walk between ego and humility.
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That’s an interesting point. For me it was twofold. I wrote something and I didn’t need to show it to other people to know if it was good. I wasn’t hoping any more. I just knew that I’d achieved what I wanted to do. Now I just want to do it better.
I let some some things go. Odds are pretty high that I have a form of dyslexia. This is mostly on the numbers but it means that my grammar is appalling. The fact modern grammar is completely different to the way I did it at school doesn’t help. So I’ve had to accept that even with a good copy editor, who is a decent proof reader, and even with a group of beta readers which includes two more professional editors, my work will always have errors in it. No matter how much effort I make I will just never have the money to throw at a new book to satisfy those who think indies have poor production values. Yes. If ever there was a perfect candidate for trad, on this front, it’s me. So I just have to do the best I can where I have the ability – on the humour and storytelling side – and leave it there.
Cheers
MTM
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The money is definitely an issue for indie authors, but I always believe there are other ways. As you said, copy editors, proof readers, and beta readers are great. Personally, I think it’s weird when people declare that you ‘need’ to spend a load of money on a pricey editor to be an indie author. That isn’t really a requirement. It’d be nice if everyone could do that, but to say that you can’t self-publish without it is rather elitist.
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Yeh, I hear you. I bet there are a lot of garage bands out there who aspire to the production values of Pink Floyd but just can’t afford the kit yet. I see myself as kind of, like that. That said, I think I may have found someone who can help me polish my stuff up. We shall see.
Cheers
MTM
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Very cool. Hope it all comes together.
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