Facing the Monster of Self-Doubt

It takes many different forms, but every writer faces the monster of self-doubt at some point. Today, writer Ellie Joy shares her encounter with the dreaded beast, and shares some encouragement for facing and moving past that doubt:

“Me? A writer? I’m not experienced enough, old enough, creative enough.”

I don’t know about you, but I’ve thought these same lines too many times. The end of my sentence differs, but the result of the words are still the same. Have you ever heard the saying that you are your own worst enemy? It’s so true.

As an aspiring author, I want to write something worth remembering. Ever since that fateful day when I sat down to write my first story, I knew this was my dream. Never mind that I wasn’t even eight. For that year, I was convinced I practically was an author.

But as I got older, things began to change. My stories no longer seemed impressive to me, and uncertainty began to cloud the dreams of what I aimed my future toward. A wisp of doubt took hold at the back of my mind.

Okay, I’ll share a little more backstory and get more personal. The biggest doubts didn’t just appear overnight.

Keep reading