My Writing Journey: How Fear and Doubt led Me to a Successful Beginning.
Quote of the Post: ‘I think the most creative people veer between ambition and anxiety, self-doubt and confidence. I definitely can relate to that. We all go through that: “Am I doing the right thing?” “Is this what I’m meant to be doing?”’ — Daniel Radcliffe
Like many novelists, I began my writing journey at a young age. I was engrossed by the ability to craft exciting worlds and characters; the cultivation of words that could inspire a reaction from readers. But, it took years before my passion evolved into something greater.
I am a beginner novelist, regardless of how long I’ve been writing — and like many beginners, I suffer from Beginners syndrome; the fear that I am not good enough, that I suck and the world would tear me to bits if I allowed it to get word of my passions. I fell for this thought as many do, and that's why it took me 3 years to get to this point.
I started working my debut novel, over 3 years ago, and today, I have nothing to show for it — because I spend 3 years, in fear, doubt and several redrafts of a crappy outline. But, what if I told you, this was a good thing? Now, I can hear your concerns; 3 years is a long time to be doing something with no results — especially with the iterative structure of novel writing, and what if the world has lost interest in my story. All valid concerns, but remember stories cannot die, they evolve with each retelling — it’s not what the world forgets, it’s how you remind them.
In 2018, I wrote my first outline. I was excited to start my journey in writing and with a story, I believe the world needed to hear. In 2019, I rewrote that outline because I thought it wasn’t good enough. Again, in 2020, I rewrote the previous outline — and now in 2021, guess what I am doing?
Through rewriting my outline 4 times, I’ve discovered something about my writing — it evolved. I learnt more about my characters, my world and most importantly my abilities, my writing strenghts and weakness. Now, I don’t suggest working 3 years on an outline, that’s ridiculous, but I do suggest, if you are a plotter, try outline more than once.
Multiple outlines helped me catch plotholes faster, develop my world and story, and it even gave me an appreciation for my writing style. Those fail attempts and doubts, made me a better writer. Now, that doesn’t mean I’m Shakespeare or Stephen King, or Tolkien — but what it does mean, is that I am at a more confident place in my writing — to the point where I want to share my journey with you.
So, write as often as you can, and take you failures as a lesson, only then will you be able to make the best of your journey.
