4 Quotes About Self-Doubt That Will Transform Your Writing

Don’t waste time doubting yourself

I’m immersed in self-doubt. Sitting here, staring at my laptop’s screen, I think about the words I’ve written. I wonder if I should reveal something as personal as doubting myself to the world? I ask myself if people will read the first 5 words of this story and say, “Who cares”. I wonder if they will stop reading. I question my opening sentence and ask myself, “Is there a better way to start my story?” I considered deleting the small amount I’ve written, and then one of my favorite quotes comes to me.

“There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.” ― Ernest Hemingway

I’ve opened a vein, and I’ve found other authors who have done the same. Here are four quotes about self-doubt that will transform your writing.

“If you hear a voice within you say you cannot paint, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.” ― Vincent Willem van Gogh

Sometimes the voice of self-doubt in my head is so loud, I feel unable to write anything. It drums out everything else. And it makes me feel incapable of writing.

It usually speaks when I think about what I will write. It causes me to question the value of my thoughts. And it makes me wonder if anything I say will help anyone.

What you need to do

Anyone can write. People have been writing for thousands of years. When you hear that voice that says you can’t write, it’s a lie. You know you can write, so you are trying too hard at coming up with an idea that is unique.

Accept that anything you can think of someone has already written. But they didn’t write it in your style, from our viewpoint, or with your life experiences.

Van Gogh’s advice about doubting an ability to paint was to paint. It is the same for writing. When you hear the voice in your head that says you can not write, then write. It will silence the voices in your head.

“The greater the artist, the greater the doubt. Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize.” ― Robert Hughes

Doubting ourselves is a sign of potential greatness. It takes time to recognize our abilities are true and dependable. In the early stages, feeling doubt is normal.

I’ve read and seen people interviewed who brag about their self-perceived abilities. Of course, they’re great. If you ask them, they will tell you about their fame and talents. Too often, their reality doesn’t measure up to their experience.

Keanu Reeves has achieved great wealth and international acclaim for his movies. But he has a modest approach to life, money, and fame. I’ve heard him interviewed several times, and I’m impressed with his down-to-earth approach to life. He could be a braggart. Instead, he’s humble. It’s a sign of his greatness as an actor and person.

What you need to do

No one sees our flaws the way we do. I owned a motorcycle store. I would have people bring their bikes to the store to show them to me. Often, they would let me look at their bike, then they would point out a flaw. Maybe it was a bubble in the paint or a scratch. I would tell them not to point out the mistake. If they hadn’t emphasized it, I never would have seen it. But since they pointed it out, it drew my eyes to it. Instead of being a minor blemish, the flaw became the focal point.

Accept that you are a work in progress. Your writing has flaws. It will never be perfect because writing is a never-ending process of learning to write. The writer you are today is not the writer you’ll be tomorrow. Work at being the best that you can be every day. Stay humble, but don’t feel compelled to point out your mistakes and failures.

“In your moments of self-doubt, it helps to have someone in your life who believes in you more than you believe in yourself.” ― Hrishikesh Agnihotri

I have someone to counter my self-doubt. If I didn’t have someone to support me when my self-doubt is in control, I may have quit writing. Sometimes, she’ll send me a text that says, “I believe in you.” Other times, she’ll let me talk about how I’m feeling incapable of expressing myself. After listening, she’ll talk to me about my desire to be a writer and how I’ll never get there if I don’t write.

What you need to do

Everyone needs support. Writing isn’t a team effort, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have support.

Here are some things to look for in your support person:

• Non-judgemental
• Brutally honest
• A good listener
• An encourager

What you don’t want is someone who:

• Tries to write your story for you

My biggest supporter is my wife. Your support may be a spouse, a friend, a fellow writer. I avoid writer’s groups because they lean toward being mutual admiration societies. Compliments always feel good, but they aren’t always helpful. When I have enough self-doubt that I need to talk to someone, I want that person to level with me. No matter how brutal their comments, I want them to get me back to writing.

“Erase self-doubt by working to build your strengths instead of focusing on your weaknesses.” — Rodolfo Costa

When I feel the most self-doubt, I am always the least active. During those times, the words I speak most often to myself are “I can’t,” “I don’t know what to do,” and “I’m stuck.” The more I focus on self-doubt, the stronger it becomes.

What you need to do

Write. It’s that simple. For two minutes, ignore the voices in your head and write. Set a timer and tell yourself that you are going to write for two minutes.

Try these exercises:

• Write a description of an apple sitting on a woman’s head without using the word apple or woman
• Write the dialogue between a child and a bear
• Write an emotional first paragraph of a lost child from the child’s view
• If you normally write serious stories, write about something funny. If you are normally light-hearted, write something serious.
• If you’ve had an idea for a story, but haven’t been able to write it because you aren’t confident in the idea, write the opening paragraph.

In this simple exercise, you can erase thoughts of self-doubt as you force yourself to write. Don’t worry about “professionalism” or perfection. These 2 minutes of writing will never see the light of day. You are free to write anything you want, as good or as bad as you want.

William Goldman is one of my favorite authors. He got started writing by taking a college creative writing course. He once said that his grades in the class were horrible. Undaunted by the grades he received in the writing class, he kept writing. Over his writing career, he wrote many best-selling novels.

Here’s what he said about writing.

“Writing is finally about one thing: going into a room alone and doing it. Putting words on paper that have never been there in quite that way before. And although you are physically by yourself, the haunting Demon never leaves you, that Demon being the knowledge of your own terrible limitations, your hopeless inadequacy, the impossibility of ever getting it right. No matter how diamond-bright your ideas are dancing in your brain, on paper they are earthbound.” — William Goldman

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When you feel self-doubt, what do you do to overcome it?