An Open Letter to the Author with Self-Doubt

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Are you starting to doubt whether this writing “thing” will ever work? Whether it’s even worth your time trying to get published? Did you just get another rejection letter and now you’re experiencing all sorts of doubt?

I’ve been there.

But you and I can’t remain an author with self-doubt. We HAVE to write as much as we have to breathe. So if you’re in the same boat as me, here’s a letter to hopefully help you in your grief.

An Open Letter to the Author with Self-Doubt:

To the author with self-doubt right now, I hear you. I understand feeling frustrated because you just got ANOTHER rejection letter. Now, you may be wondering if you’re even a good enough writer. Or when are things finally going to work out?

But I need you to not give up.

Your Story Matters.

It’s hard to feel like your story is worth reading when you get rejection after rejection in your inbox. Especially when they don’t come with feedback. (If they would only give you a reason, then maybe you could fix it–I know!)

But your story is WORTH all of this time that you’re putting into it. There’s a reason you want to write this story and there’s something inside of you that won’t let you forget it. Don’t give up!

There’s a reader out there that’s waiting to read your book. There’s someone out there who will be changed by your book, even if it’s just for a deeper love of reading. Your story matters to someone, but MOST of all, it matters to YOU!

You are Enough. And Your Words are Enough.

Tweets with people sharing the news they were just signed with an agent or that their book is finally coming out fill your newsfeed. Yet you’re still in the trenches, submitting for what feels like the THOUSANDTH time and still nothing. Not even a hint at an offer.

So much of your time is spent comparing yourself to others. You don’t think that what you have to offer or what you have to say is important. You think it’s all been done before or the world might not need another book like yours. in fact, you secretly wish you could be ANYONE else who’s more successful or farther along than you are. Including the people filling your Twitter feed.

But you need to stop.

You need to know that YOU are enough. What you think and how you feel is justified and important. And you don’t need a publishing offer to tell you that you are a writer. You are a writer because you are WRITING.

A publishing offer will only be the cherry on top of an already delicious sundae.

Your Time is Coming. Believe in Yourself.

I know it seems like everyone but you is getting an offer. Or everyone but you is already published or experiencing some sort of success. But you don’t see behind the scenes.

You haven’t seen the years they spent submitting or the opportunity that opened to them at the right moment. You don’t know their story and they don’t know yours. But there’s one thing all of them have in common– they NEVER gave up!

Your time is coming. One day you will be the author with the publishing contract and the agent who roots for you. You will be the one people look at and wonder how you did it. And you’ll be just like the others: you kept submitting until you got the yes and you NEVER stopped believing in yourself and the story you had to tell.

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So don’t stop! Allow this moment of self-doubt to pass and turn back to your writing. If you can’t keep working on your story, then write something new. But whatever you do, don’t stop writing.

You don’t have to stay the author with self-doubt. You just need to keep trying, believe in yourself and your writing, and know that your time is coming.

Use these articles to inspire you to write again:

• 10 Things All Writers Know to be True
• How to find to write and not feel guilty
• How to create writing goals
• Motivate yourself when you don’t feel like writing
• 100 Quotes to inspire you to write again
• Why You Should Write the Book You Want, NOT What’s Trending
• Author Confessional: Write the Book You Want

Overcome Your Self-Doubt and Start Writing Again!