by Michelle Johnson

We all have questions, hesitations, and those moments when we lack courage. As a writer, you will also often encounter doubt. It is an enemy you will have to defeat more than once. 

Doubt takes many forms.

It is the voice that questions your right to create, the one that rehearses worst-case scenarios, the one that keeps you safe by keeping you small. Doubt can protect you by making you consider if there is a better option or another perspective. Should you consider how the intended audience might misunderstand your message? What if there is a better way to make your point?  

But too much doubt can stop you from starting.

This is when doubt gets in your way. Your thoughts will begin to focus on limits. This leads to thoughts such as “What if I’m not good enough?” As you can see, this is definitely a battle. The push and pull of doubt could paralyze your creativity and passion for writing.

Good News from Your Imagination

In a perfect world, writers would just sit down and type a first draft that is meaningful, exciting, and beautifully edited. Alas, ‌it would be easier to win the lottery. The good news is that you don’t care if it’s bad because, when you write the first draft, you are throwing ideas on the page while your mind gives you the gist of your story.

Forget about stress, because your imagination plays tunes in your head long after that first draft. You’re still on the train tracks and looking to fuel your story with steam. 

What if Stephen King had written his book, Christine, about a car owner who is obsessed with his 1958 Plymouth Fury (something classic car owners can relate to) and instead went with the first idea that came to mind, such as a 1968 Mustang convertible? 

Let’s pretend that he did.

Suppose he spent time imagining and saw that the Plymouth was bigger, stronger, scarier, and, in a word, better. He may have even looked at cars on the internet or randomly seen the Fury at a car show. Anything that sparked his imagination would be worth the time spent asking himself the question, “What if ?”

Imagination is your sword to fight doubt. 

It challenges your hesitation and limits that keep your first idea smaller than it might need to be. Some of your ideas may be perfect the first time, but the test will come when you try other options. Your result may surprise you!

Let’s explore the tension between Doubt and Imagination.

Instead of enemies who must win every time, you may prefer to consider them as two friends who don’t think alike. Doubt will negotiate the situation as an editor, reminder, or guardian. It covets fear and wants things to be short and specific. Imagination will want to push for more details, imagery, and may go overboard.

The result is a compromise of ideas after a series of negotiations.

Writing Insight

Your first drafts need imagination to get ideas flowing, so think of them as a sketch of a house. 

You haven't built the house yet, so you still have time to decide how many rooms and cars you want, whether it's in the city or country, who will live there, and so on. You are not spending money on materials, and using your imagination saves you money. 

This is why so many movie scripts get revised. I’d like to think that they make additions and spend more money to make the movie better as well. Big moments are exciting in books and movies. 

Please do not limit your imagination. 

Remember:

• First drafts need imagination
• Editing needs a little doubt
• Good writing happens when both are balanced.

If your writing looks too much like a strict parent or a teenager who wants to describe every detail over a three-hour phone call with her friends, you need to work on balance. 

The Doubt and Imagination Team Interact

Doubt immediately shows fear. It asks questions, does not want to take chances, and wants to stay inside. Imagination is like a puppy that wants to play in the mud and see what happens. Negotiation may look like this: “I will give you X if you give me Y.”

Doubt works!

• It protects by predicting pain
• It conserves energy by preventing risk
• It borrows authority from past voices and past hurts

Imagination helps!

• It is a rehearsal without consequences
• It lets you try on outcomes, practice courage 
• It helps create evidence for possibilities

If our team of Doubt and Imagination can work in tandem in our minds, then we should find it interesting to share the fun with our friends or family. 

Note: I recommend using the Imagination version for this random sharing of ideas. 

If you have a writing group, they can be your best allies for rehearsals. For example, in my group, we were writing short stories for an anthology, and someone used her grandfather’s story about his service in World War II for inspiration. 

She wanted a grand ending to the romance, but struggled to find it because her grandfather had been a French interpreter in the war. While brainstorming with a group member, she was asked, “Why couldn’t he be a pilot who flies his plane to his girlfriend’s farm after the war?” 

It was a sweet ending, and it worked. 

Final Thoughts

The Doubt-Imagination team works if you allow yourself to see both sides and the benefits that each provides. You are the creator. You are the doubter. You are the “Imaginator.” Let yourself explore the possibilities and negotiate boundaries. Build the house in different ways, let the puppy play in the mud, put the hero in the airplane, and get the teenage girl off the phone.

Doubt will thank you, too.

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About Michelle

Michelle Johnson, B.A., M.S., MBA, is a mom, wife, retired English teacher, academic with lots of letters behind her name, traveler, and lifelong learner.

This is her first time blogging for writersinthestormblog.com.

"Louisiana life is ripe with stories, great food, loyal friends, and family. Y’all are welcome, anytime!"

Featured photo by Pixabay