Do you fear your writing isn’t good enough?
Writing fear is like the monster under the bed—except it lives under your writing desk, emerging to breathe down your neck every time you type a sentence. It growls things like, “Who do you think you are? A real writer? Ha!” and “You know you’re just wasting your time. This is never going to amount to anything.”
Every writer I’ve talked to or interviewed has experienced the feeling that their words weren’t good enough. Some procrastinate. Some edit until the end of the universe. And when it comes to publishing? Many either delay doing it or, if they do, fail to market the book once it’s out there for fear of what people will think.
Fear isn’t all bad, though. For one thing, it means you care. It also means you’re probably pushing yourself outside your comfort zone, which, for an artist, is always a good thing. The trick is learning how to move forward despite the fear.
So how do you do that? There are many ways, but in this post, I’ve got three unconventional (and occasionally ridiculous) methods you can use to tackle writing fear head-on.
Fear Is Not Your Enemy—It’s Your Unpaid Writing Coach
Before we talk about overcoming fear, let’s flip the script: Fear can be good for you as a writer. Number one, it keeps you from writing something completely careless, like a novel that lacks the proper story structure or a short story with nebulous characters.
Fear presses you to do your best because you fear putting something out there that will be criticized. In that way, it can be motivating. The key is making sure that it stays in the “helpful” category and doesn’t morph into some tyrannical dictator who convinces you to delete your entire novel at 3 a.m.
Try to see fear as a weirdly enthusiastic personal trainer yelling at you to do better. “Come on! That sentence needs more punch! You can do it! Don’t settle for clichés! Drop and give me twenty… better verbs!”
Now, for those times when fear goes a little too far, let’s look at three creative ways to put it back in its place.
Writing Isn’t Good Enough Tip 1. Write the Absolute Worst Version First (Like, Really Bad)
If fear is whispering, “This isn’t good enough,” lean into it—on purpose. Go ahead and write the worst, most hilariously terrible version of the scene you’re working on as you can.
Make your main character say cringeworthy lines like, “Gaze upon my sorrows, for I am but a lonely pickle in the sandwich of life.” Use as many adjectives and adverbs as you can in one paragraph. Go off on tangents that have nothing to do with the main plot line.
What happens next is sort of magical. Once you’ve given yourself permission to write terribly, you’ll realize that, hey, this is fun. And then, without even trying, you’ll return to your own voice. Your creative brain will naturally kick into “this is how the story should be” mode.
But by starting bad, you dissolve the pressure of perfection, causing fear to lose its grip.
Writing Isn’t Good Enough Tip 2. Bribe Yourself Like a Mischievous Toddler
We writers have to negotiate with ourselves. I do it all the time. Sometimes it’s the only way I can get myself to sit down and work!
Use this power for good by bribing yourself shamelessly. Promise yourself a ridiculous, over-the-top reward for completing your writing.
- “If I finish this chapter, I get to buy the good ice cream—not the sad, off-brand kind that tastes like freezer burn.”
- “If I write for 30 minutes, I will allow myself to scroll social media guilt-free for exactly seven minutes and thirty-two seconds.”
- “If I hit ‘publish’ on this blog post, I will dance around my living room while blasting my favorite song, no matter what the neighbors think.”
Make the reward for writing so appealing that it overpowers any anxiety you may be feeling. Why shouldn’t you? You want to do this thing, right? So do it whatever it takes so you’ll do it!
Writing Isn’t Good Enough Tip 3. Imagine Your Favorite Author Writing Their First Draft
We put famous authors on pedestals. We imagine that their words arrive fully formed like gifts from the literary gods.
Of course, they don’t. But that doesn’t stop us from imagining they do.
Try this: Next time fear tells you your writing isn’t good enough, imagine your favorite author hunched over their keyboard, groaning in frustration, typing, “[Insert brilliant idea here because I have no clue what happens next].”
Or picture Jane Austen throwing her quill across the room and shouting, “This dialogue is absolute rubbish!” (Okay, she probably said it more elegantly, but you get the idea.)
Every writer, from Stephen King to Toni Morrison, has written a terrible first draft. They’ve doubted themselves. They’ve struggled. But they kept going, and that’s why we know their names today.
Pretend you’re one of those famous writers. Indulge yourself. Why not? Imagine you are that person. How would they face fear? How would they write anyway? Get inside their skin and pretend. If it gets you to move forward, that’s all that matters.
Writing Isn’t Good Enough?
The fear that your writing isn’t good enough will probably always be there. It is for me. But that’s okay, as long as you don’t let it stop you.
Fear is proof that you care about your craft. You can’t eliminate it entirely, but you can keep it from running the show.
Fear doesn’t get to decide if you’re a writer—you do.
For more help overcoming FEAR in writing, try Write Boldly: The Fearless Writer’s Toolkit.