Self-doubt can stifle the creative process and block the ability to express oneself. This can cause real problems when writing a story.
When you ponder your writerly identity, what comes to mind?
Your strength? Great confidence. “I can do this!”
Or weakness? Fear of failure. “What was I thinking?”
Self-doubt is an equal opportunity issue. Pessimists aren’t the only ones who deal with it. Optimists are not immune to the self-doubt train.
Steps to overcome writerly self-doubt
Questions may pop up in your mind, “What makes me think that I can actually write a book? Is it any good? Will anyone buy it?”
Do you use positive thoughts and build yourself up or negative self-talk, comparing yourself to others?
If it’s negative self-talk, recognize it for what it is to curb self-doubt from damaging your ability to write and cause feelings of unworthiness. Tell yourself that you are good enough and worthy of being heard. Recognizing the problem is the first big step to overcome it.
Where does self-doubt come from?
At its core, self-doubt stems from many things.
Childhood experiences
Highly critical adult authority figures
Unrecognized talents
Lack of encouragement
Social awkwardness
When confidence has been stripped away at a young age, it is hard to get it back. A good dose of stubbornness helps.
Perfectionism
Standards set too high
Fear of failure
Comparing self to others
Seeing things only in black and white with no possibility for compromise or shades of gray
The Inner Critic
Constantly questions our decisions and abilities
Chips away confidence
Silencing that inner beast is tough. But when you discover the root causes of self-doubt, focus on your strengths and accomplishments so you can ignore the inner critic.
Writers on self-doubt
In the publishing world, writers are confronted with a plethora of competition, and criticism. Then there is the rejection. Know that writers, even the accomplished ones, deal with this. All of it—food for self-doubt.
Writing is an artform. Many artists are prone to self-doubt, so it isn’t surprising that writers face the same struggle. There’s much self-doubt to go around. Consider the following greats who did battle with that fear.
“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” –- Sylvia Plath
“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” ― William Shakespeare
“Writing fiction, especially a long work of fiction can be a difficult, lonely job; it’s like crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a bathtub. There’s plenty of opportunity for self-doubt.” ― Stephen King
“I'm not too fond of the hard work and the constant battle with self-doubt that goes on when I write, but I figure that's part of the territory.” ― Robert Sheckley
“Each time I write a book, every time I face that yellow pad, the challenge is so great. I have written eleven books, but each time I think, ‘Uh-oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody and they’re going to find me out.’” ― Maya Angelou
Overcoming self-doubt
To quiet the negative voice, you not only need to hear that you are worthy to be heard—you need to believe it.
Set aside your worries as you are able
Step away from the writing world for a time
Focus on overcoming the blocks that are walling you off from the success you want, then return to writing
Begin your journey to face self-doubt today. Bring that confidence to your writing and see how that effects your life.
Kick your inner critic to the curb
There is no “I’m not good enough.” Don’t allow negative self-talk to sabotage your creativity.
Sometimes it helps to lavish encouragement on others. Tell them how proud you are of them, how wonderful they are, that it’s okay to make mistakes, as errors help us learn to be better writers. Sometimes those errors lead us to new and interesting stories.
In helping others, we may encourage ourselves. And your encouraging words will be passed along to others along the way.
When you recognize that your inner critic is creeping in, have a go-to phrase you can say out loud to lessen the impact of that negative inner voice.
Here are some suggestions:
“Stop!”
“Nope. I’ve got this!”
“I can do this.”
“I’m talented.”
“I’m better than this!”
“What if I fall? Oh, my darling, what if you fly?”— Erin Hanson
If you focus on (failing) falling, you’re letting doubt take over. Instead, focus on flying free from limitations, doubt, and fear. Dive into new experiences and possibilities.
Your thoughts create life, keep them positive.
Build yourself up when experiencing self-doubt
Give yourself some grace. No one is perfect. Recognize your humanity.
Listen to music. This is something I do to help myself. Songs can be inspirational and truly are mood-changing.
Sing and dance until negativity leaves you. Your motivation will return.
There will always be critics. Work on developing a thicker skin, and be open for constructive criticism.
Build up your love of self and confidence level to better face doubts.
Celebrate your wins
Many people talk about writing a book. The fact that you are working on one is a big win.
Celebrate when you recognize moments of self-doubt and confront them—building a shield made of confidence and positivity.
Do you struggle with self-doubt or imposter syndrome as an artist? What do you do to handle self-doubt?
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About Ellen
Author, speaker, and former teacher, Ellen L. Buikema has written non-fiction for parents, and The Adventures of Charlie Chameleon chapter book series with stories encouraging the development of empathy—sprinkling humor wherever possible. Her Works in Progress are The Hobo Code, YA historical fiction and The Crystal Key, MG Magical Realism/ Sci-Fi, a glaze of time travel.
It’s spooky season and I was given the chance to post on Halloween and what better topic to talk about than adding suspense in your writing. As a developmental editor, it is something I look for in every manuscript, not just thrillers or mysteries. Even romance needs a certain amount of suspense on the page. It might not include creaky doors or people lurking in the corners, but even a first kiss can be suspenseful. The moment before lips meet, the held breath, the fear that the other person might pull away, those are emotional jump scares, and they keep readers hooked as much as any ghost story.
Suspense is the writer’s version of creaking floorboards and flickering lights. It’s not about jump scares or gore; it’s about making your reader lean forward, clutch the book tighter, and whisper, don’t go in there.
And a haunted house is the perfect blueprint for how to build it.
1. The Front Door: Hook Them Immediately
When you step up to a haunted house, you already feel the unease. The same goes for your story’s opening. Suspense begins with atmosphere. A strange smell, an offhand comment, a door left ajar. Any detail that tells the reader something’s wrong here.
In romance, this might be the first meeting. Something is off, too electric, too intense. One glance across the room and the reader already knows: this isn’t going to be simple.
Writing tactic: Start with a detail that doesn’t fit. If everything looks normal, give it a crack in the veneer. Surprise your reader with something odd, abnormal, even a bit unsettling, and you will hook them from the start.
2. The Flickering Lights: Raise Doubt
In haunted houses, the lights never work quite right. They tease you with glimpses, then plunge you back into the dark. Suspense thrives on partial information. Show readers just enough to keep them curious but deny them certainty.
In romantic suspense, this means secrets. One character holds something back. Trust wavers. Every smile could hide betrayal, every touch could mean danger.
Writing tactic: Reveal in pieces. A noise without a source. A figure glimpsed, then gone. A hesitation in a lover’s eyes. Let the reader fill in the blanks with their own worst fears
3. The Creaking Floorboards: Layer the Tension
Every step deeper into a haunted house adds weight. The sound grows louder, the air grows colder, and the reader knows something is coming. Suspense builds in layers. Each unsettling moment stacks on the one before it.
In romance, tension layers too. Emotional stakes climb with every misunderstanding, every almost-confession. The fear of heartbreak is its own kind of haunting.
Writing tactic: Escalate gradually. Add small, unsettling beats that pile up until the reader feels trapped in the best way. Early glimpses of the unknown are scarier, and more engaging, than a sudden reveal.
4. The Locked Room: Delay the Reveal
Every haunted house has a door you shouldn’t open. Readers want to know what’s inside, but the moment you reveal it, the suspense collapses. The trick is to delay. Tease, hint, and make the anticipation unbearable before you finally turn the knob.
In a romance, this might be the secret that changes everything or the confession that risks breaking them apart. The longer you wait, the more the emotional payoff matters.
Writing tactic: Hold back the answer. Stretch the reader’s patience until they’re begging for release. When that final reveal lands, whether it’s a kiss or a ghost, it hits twice as hard.
5. The Ghost in the Mirror: Pay Off the Build-Up
The payoff must justify the dread. Suspense that fizzles out is worse than no suspense at all. Whether it’s a shocking twist, a terrifying confrontation, or an emotional confession that shatters both hearts, the reveal needs to deliver on the promise you’ve been making since page one.
Writing tactic: Don’t always explain. Sometimes the scariest, or most romantic, thing is what the reader never fully understands. Leave a trace of mystery lingering in the reflection.
Final Thought: Keep Them in the House
Suspense is about control. You build the house, lead your reader inside, and shut the door behind them. Every creak, shadow, and silence keeps them moving deeper, even when they desperately want to leave. That’s the haunted magic of a well-built story, whether it ends with a scream or a kiss.
Because in the end, love and fear live in the same dark hallway. Both make your pulse quicken, your breath catch, and your imagination race ahead to what might be waiting just around the corner. Romantic suspense isn’t just about who’s behind the door, it’s about whether your heart can survive opening it. Keep your readers chasing that thrill, and they’ll follow you into any haunted house you build.
Do you have a moment in your story that has readers holding their breath? Share it in the comments.
About Jenn Windrow
Jenn Windrow once attempted to write a “normal” book—and promptly bored herself into a coma. So now she sticks to what she does best: writing snarky, kickass heroines, broody supernatural men, and more sexual tension than a vampire in a blood bank.
She’s the award-winning author of the Alexis Black novels and the Redeeming Cupid series, where the undead never sparkle and the drama is always delicious. Jenn moonlights as a developmental editor, helping other writers wrangle their wild plots and tangle-free prose.
When not arguing with her characters or muttering about Oxford commas, she can be found binge-watching trash TV, wrangling the slew of animals that live in her house (husband and teenagers included), or telling herself she’ll only have one more cookie.
You can find her at jennwindrow.com or lurking on social media where she pretends to be an extrovert.
There’s nothing kids love more than knowing their birthday is coming up soon:
People will sing Happy Birthday just for them!
They’re gonna have CANDLES on their cake!!
They’ll be the star of the whole day!!!
We all know that feeling of looking forward to a Big Day. Even after we’ve outgrown the thrill of counting candles on our cake, we still feel it before some special event... like, say, a writing conference:
I’ll be able to chat with fellow writers!
I’ll meet other creative people and discuss what we do!!
I’ll get all kinds of free stuff!!!
Regardless of our age or event, anticipation is something EVERYONE loves. It makes our blood sparkle. We actively enjoy picturing some experience we know will be a treat, contemplating the pleasure ahead while sitting at a stoplight, doing a mundane chore, or anything else that can be brightened with a bit of excitement.
What gives YOU that feeling of anticipation?
You might have quite a few things, but it’s likely that one you especially enjoy is (drum roll) opening the cover of a long-awaited new book.
How will it start? Who’ll appear on the first page? What will they be doing, or thinking about, or talking about?
Will the story surprise you? Will it be what you’ve come to expect from this author? Will it make you feel challenged? Dreamy? Thrilled? Thoughtful? Scared? Entertained?
You’re probably going there in with some idea of what to expect, just from the book cover or title or author. But even so, no matter whose story you’re picking up, two crucial things determine how your expectations will be rewarded:
1. Boffo Beginnings
Ideally, the first 25 words will show whether your feeling of anticipation was justified. Maybe you’re instantly grabbed and engaged.
Maybe you’re not 100% consumed by those words, but you’re interested enough to keep reading the next 25. The next 100. The next 500. That’s a slower payoff, but it still leaves you aware that “yep, I want to know more!”
What openings have left you feeling that way?
For me, one that jumped out was from Ken Follett’s The Key to Rebecca: “The last camel collapsed at noon.” Huh? What? What’s this ABOUT?!
A friend’s recommendation of how Martha Wells opened All Systems Red turned me into a Murderbot series fan:
“I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites. It had been well over 35,000 hours or so since then, with still not much murdering, but probably, I don’t know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.” Okay, I’m hooked—I’ve gotta read more!
(And you’re already thinking of openings that have done that for YOU, right?)
But you also know that the closing is every bit as important as the opening. Which takes us into the next crucial element:
2. Fab Finales
The thing about great beginnings and/or great closings: neither one is especially useful without the other. As it happens, both those books whose openings I loved ALSO delivered highly satisfying conclusions.
But sometimes, readers can get so moved or exhilarated or heartbroken or renewed by the closing of a book that—even if they couldn’t quote you the opening line—they’re definitely gonna order this author’s next title as soon as it comes out.
Remember these exceptional closings?
“Yes,” I said. “Isn’t it pretty to think so?”
Reader, I married him.
“And, oh, Aunt Em! I’m so glad to be at home again!”
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
He loved Big Brother.
“After all, tomorrow is another day.”
I probably don’t even have to identify those books (although I should give the authors credit, so thanks to Ernest Hemingway for The Sun Also Rises, Charlotte Bronte for Jane Eyre, L. Frank Baum for The Wizard of Oz, F. Scott Fitzgerald for The Great Gatsby, George Orwell for 1984 and Margaret Mitchell for Gone With the Wind).
But did you notice how all these stories could be considered classics? Endings that resonate like the ones above tend to keep a book front-of-mind when recommending Great Reads, and everyone loves telling friends about their fabulous discovery.
So for writers, the trick is to have both a boffo beginning AND a fab finale, which involves quite a few techniques. Just as no two expert painters would give the exact same advice on how they create their best art, the same is true for book openings and closings...but feedback on options is always useful!
And speaking of options, you can choose whether to send in a comment for this:
Prize-Drawing Question What’s a book you’ve loved because of (at least in part) its opening, closing or both?
Someone who answers will win free registration to Boffo Beginnings & Fab Finales, my November 3-14 email class on that very thing. This weekend I’ll have random-org draw a name and post it at the end of the comments, so check back Sunday when you'll still have a week to alert me "yes, I'll take it" at the email on my website below.
About Laurie:
After winning Romantic Times’ “Best Special Edition of the Year” over Nora Roberts, Laurie Schnebly Campbell discovered she loved teaching every bit as much as writing... if not more. Since then she’s taught in-person and online workshops including the upcoming Boffo Beginnings & Fab Finales, and keeps a special section of her bookshelves for people who’ve developed that particular novel in her classes. With 50+ titles there so far, she’s always hoping for more.
