07/09/2026
Writer’s block and self-doubt can make you feel like the answer is to stop writing. But, in my opinion, it’s usually the opposite. Here’s are some tips and reminders that have really helped me throughout my writing career so far 🖊️
-Write badly if you have to but just get over the hurdle of a blank page. You can edit a messy page, but you can’t edit a blank one.
-Stop waiting for confidence. Confidence often arrives AFTER you’ve done the work, not before.
-Focus on the next sentence, not the entire book (stop getting in your head so much about next steps and the whole entire process of getting published. The best writing happens when you’re fully present in the moment).
-Lower the pressure. First drafts are allowed to be imperfect. Tell yourself it’s SUPPOSED to be messy, and that’s literally every single writer’s process (literally every single one!!).
-Remember that self-doubt is a feeling, not a fact. I used to let it affect me so much, until I realised I could speak back to that negative inner voice and get on with pursuing my dreams despite it (and the self-doubt usually takes a backseat to other emotions and thoughts when you get on with your day and refuse to let it bring you down)
-Trust the process. Most good writing starts as something rough and unfinished (it certainly does for me!)
-Keep moving forward. Momentum is often the cure for overthinking. Try to create a writing routine that works for you and stick to it with the same discipline you’d offer any other job.
At the end of the day, the goal isn’t to write something perfect (there’s actually no such thing as ‘perfect writing’ because it’s so deeply subjective; one person can absolutely love your writing while someone else doesn’t relate to it at all). The goal is to create something that EXISTS. Once the words are on the page, you have something to reshape, refine and improve. Remember: every finished manuscript begins as an imperfect, messy first draft ❤️
follow for writing tips & the behind-the-scenes of my own author journey 🖊️
