Self-doubt can feel like just another miserable part of writing, but in my experience, it often becomes far more dangerous than that. That’s because it tends to show up at the exact moments that matter most in your writing life. And if you don’t recognize it for what it is,Continue Reading
Most of us have this fantasy around famous author confidence. We think, One day I’ll sign that contract, I’ll see my book in bookstores, and then I’ll finally feel like a real writer. We think success creates the confidence. But brain science suggests it often works the other way around.Continue Reading
Do you ever have that sinking fear that you’re going to pour years of your life into your writing only to get absolutely nothing in return? No sales. No awards. No readers. Just wasted time. Maybe you worry that the publishing industry is just too saturated right now, or thatContinue Reading
Overcoming self-doubt is your most important job as a writer. Don’t think so? Answer one question: Do you believe that with hard work, determination, and persistence, you can succeed in achieving your writing goals? Your answer determines your fate. You may not believe that. Success depends on other factors likeContinue Reading
Sitting for long periods of time puts a strain on my back, neck and legs. Sometimes my hands cramp or my elbows tingle. My shoulders ache and my neck hurts. I have the opposite of the munchies—if I’m really in the zone, I’ll go until 4:00 in the afternoon withoutContinue Reading
Keeping properly hydrated [is my biggest physical challenge]. I get so absorbed in my work, it’s easy to forget to drink, and that neglect can affect all sorts of things in my body. (I also used to forget to go to the bathroom—ignoring urges—but we built a small bathroom withinContinue Reading
by Simon Williams I had the basic idea floating around for some time and decided to see how it would turn out if I turned it into a full-length novel. At the time (this was many years ago) I had been mostly writing short stories—in fact I hadn’t completed aContinue Reading
I began writing after a career in teaching— a profession that puts more physical demands on you than you might imagine. You are on your feet all day, teaching and trying to keep up with active children. I often came home exhausted. Writing has had a different set of challenges.Continue Reading
by Katie Harrison, a.k.a. The Girl with the Tree Tattoo I’m at a loss. I’ve started this article at least five times and five times inspiration has left me halfway through. I’m starting to seriously doubt my abilities as a writer. So, in other words, it’s a normal day. Actually,Continue Reading
by C. Hope Clark Echoes of Edisto is the third in the Edisto Island Mysteries. Along the way, protagonist Callie Jean Morgan has suffered much in losing her profession as a detective, her husband, a child . . . then she relocates to Edisto unemployed, widowed, with one teenage childContinue Reading
“The perfect is the enemy of the good.” In writing and in life, I have to remind myself of that fairly often. Do the best you can and don’t worry about it beyond that. But I worry. I stress. There’s no shortage of things to fret about. From the purelyContinue Reading
When you become a writer, there’s a lot that other writers don’t tell you. There’s your newfound coffee addiction, back pain from sitting in that computer chair all day, anxiety, weight gain, eyestrain, headaches, and much more. Being an author is supposed to be some magical profession, that when youContinue Reading