A common problem among writers is insecurity. It is by no means a rare issue, as lack of self-confidence is present among people regardless of profession. For writers, though, it becomes a massive stumbling block as it prevents them from producing and promoting their best works. What’s worse is that writers who are struggling with insecurity can’t stop being insecure on cue. If you fall into this camp, here are some ways you can embrace being an insecure writer:
Be true to yourself
The first step is to admit to yourself that you are having insecurity issues. Don’t try to convince yourself otherwise because it prevents you from addressing the problem properly. A problem ignored doesn’t make it go away. You’re suffering from insecurity and it’s hampering your work. After you admit that, you can now look at specific issues and find out if there are ways around it.
Be honest to your readers and critics
The thing about insecurity is that it prevents you from doing whatever you need to do because you’re afraid of what other people think about you or your work. When people try to hide their insecurities, it puts them on the defensive against people who aren’t really out to judge or reject them. Many of the fears stemming from insecurity are imaginary. Remember, imaginary problems only exist in your mind. They don’t exist in the real world outside of you.
Also, most of the time, being upfront with people about your insecurities shows you that there’s really nothing to be insecure about. They don’t really care, or they don’t hold it against you. When it comes to writing, you’ll actually find that people are more likely to help you address your flaws if you show that you are aware of them. Those who are simply out to hurt you (and there are people like that) will be disarmed if you admit your insecurities outright.
Stay away from people who will take advantage of your insecurity
Not to be a wet blanket, but there are people who will take advantage of your insecurities. Whether it’s to unfairly bash your works, or make personal attacks just to elevate themselves above you, or simply to put you down in order to smooch off your success, what they are doing is keeping you insecure for as long as they can, because it works to their favor. Fortunately, these people are easy to spot if you’re not purposely denying their existence. Stay away from these people at all costs because they will not help you address your issues, and in fact will work to exacerbate things.
Focus on the positive
As a final note, writers should always remember that they have friends, family, and readers that they can focus on instead of worrying about their insecurities. This doesn’t mean that you need to ignore the things that are making you insecure; you just need to remember that in spite of those issues, you still have things in your life to look forward to.
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[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/hv1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of eBooks India. He is also a prolific eBook writer with over 25 titles to his name.[/author_info] [/author]