I just wanted to see if there where any like me. I know my idea is good, the story line, the characters. But i always have that little voice in my head that tells me it is not good enough. Thats why i trashed my last 2 outlines. I have gotten 3 chapters in to the story now, but i still have my doubts. What im afraid of, is i will continue to write, and then when im done with everything i'll look back and trash this one as well, and i'll tell myself, "Should have listened to that voice" What is yalls opinion
Yes. I tend to overthink a lot, especially because I really need someone else's opinions on what I'm writing, BUT I still don't have a beta reader for my original story... So I think I'm not seeing the mistakes, and that plot is insipid and it's only good inside my head and I stop. I definitely need someone to whip me...
ALL. THE. TIME. I think I have that with every story idea I've ever had, but I write them anyway, if I feel enthusiastic enough about them. The current one was a major issue at the beginning but now that I am in the third revision I feel better and better about it and think I am actually going to submit it once it's ready. (First I was all against that, because of it not being serious enough) The first novel I ever wrote has the same problem. I am soon starting on the third complete rewrite of that story, with a plot that has undergone several changes.
That voice will always be there regardless of what you write (although some will claim never doubt their work). That's your internal editor. He will always tell you what you're right isn't good enough. Some people ignore that voice throughout the entire writing phase then use him in the re-write. Some allow him to speak his mind but don't let him "run" the writing. Very rarely is an author completely satisfied with his "finished" work. We are always more critical of ourselves (unless we're blinded by the love of our creation) than others will be.
Oh, I think we all have doubts about ideas and writing. I'm constantly doubting myself, my ideas and my writing and (unfortunately) fall into the trap of comparing my work to others (even though mine is by no means near the publishing stage.) I think it's a completely natural part of the process. I try to remind myself that these doubts might lead to newer and better ideas and that if I have confidence in my story and characters, my book will find its way amongst all the doubt.
I don't doubt my ideas so much as I doubt my competence as a writer to express them. I always feel as though my writing isn't good enough. It's always the same pattern: I write something, and rewrite it and pick at it until I think it's perfect; then I think it's absolutely brilliant for one or (if I'm lucky) two days; finally, I begin to hate it with a special intensity that is only reserved for my own creations.
I agree with Simina. I don't so much doubt the idea as the presentation of the idea. I always go back and read and wonder what I could do better.
Everytime! Especially when someone reads the story, I lose confidence and stop writing. If you look in my apartment I have stacks and stacks not to mention stacks at my parents house with composition notebooks of the same story I have been working on. Whatever I write on paper or on the computer I save it no matter what. You never know when you would go back to it and continue it
I'm in the boat of doubting my ability but not so much my story. Of course realizing that I know nothing makes it easier to take a hard critique and learn something from it instead of getting mad about it. Several have said everyone has that voice of doubt and that's the truest thing ever. As far as listening to that self-doubt - if you can talk yourself out of writing (or let someone talk you out of it) then you shouldn't really be writting in the first place. Write because you love it, then it doesn't matter what others think.
