Confidence Issuses

[MemoryTale]

From time to time I read books that I know to be dreadful, or at least an author's early works. This reminds me that even the greats have written badly in the past, and that just because I think a piece of writing is no good doesn't mean it can't find its way onto the printed page.

 

[Grimbear]

From time to time I read books that I know to be dreadful, or at least an author's early works. This reminds me that even the greats have written badly in the past, and that just because I think a piece of writing is no good doesn't mean it can't find its way onto the printed page.

Now that's true. I've read, or started to read and thrown down in disgust, a fair few extremely bad books. There's a confidence boost - these people got published.

I started reading a book by Peter Robinson (crime thrillers) and thought it was ok - enjoyable - enough to make me pick up another one. Got hold of one of his earliest books, maybe the first or second one he ever got published and it just was not great - filled with two-dimensional characters and clumsy writing. It might have been written by a different guy - the difference in the standard of the writing was huge. He'd improved that much.

 

[Tecdavid]

Everybody feels this way about their work, their efforts, and their overall talent. Even the best names in the business. There are times when it can really get you down, and such dips and valleys are always a chore to climb out of. Personally, I tend to take a break when I feel this way. I know my mind just wont be up to it if I push myself during a day where I just feel bleak.
Sometimes taking a little break can help things. Do something that'll make you feel refreshed, and you might well come back to your work feeling much better.

Remember, sometimes negative feelings can be a hidden blessing. If we doubt ourselves, or feel worried about our work, then we're far more likely to give it our best. It's better to be under-confident than overconfident, I think. If an under-confident person thinks they have no chance, they'll give twice the effort to try and change that.

 

[stratosaeros]

Confidence is probably the biggest hurdle for any writer whether they want to admit it or not. It took me 5 years to find a project that I actually felt was good enough to finish. Then I put it down so many times I never thought I would finish it. When I finally did, I submitted queries to agents and publishers while reworking the project over and over.

I believe I received about fifty responses disregarding my work for not catching their eyes. They all give you a similar line about your work being good but not what the agency is looking for. This is the biggest confidence killer in the world.

So I let my friends read my novel, because I still finished writing a book. That in itself is an accomplishment. A lot of my friends loved the story but agreed the book was still rough around the edges. But knowing you have fans out there of your writing, no matter who they are is a great feeling. It is what helped me get over that hurdle and keep writing and editing.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

I tend to figure I need to write a load of rubbish if I want to write good, and anything bad can be tweeked, edited, deleted, added to etc

 

[Azzagorn]

Thanks for the many many replies, I feel alot better know that I'm not alone in this problem and that we all suffer from some kind of confidence issuses. Even those of us who have done some pretty cool writong. Thanks guys.