tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post5534691881071515302..comments2023-04-27T04:16:19.336-04:00Comments on The Hot Pink Typewriter: Mechanics on Monday...Conquering Doubt: by Natalie CharlesNatalie Charleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03942601245897759078noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-49942175834714772862012-06-15T10:35:45.767-04:002012-06-15T10:35:45.767-04:00Really, really great point, Tracey. I love the ide...Really, really great point, Tracey. I love the idea of evaluating the pain of self-doubt against the pain of regret. Thank you so much for sharing your perspective!Natalie Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03942601245897759078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-26195607551328860632012-06-15T09:41:42.724-04:002012-06-15T09:41:42.724-04:00Hi great post Natalie
I like your doubt ridding t...Hi great post Natalie<br /><br />I like your doubt ridding technique. I think sometimes you have to think of doubt as a positive. It can strengthen you as it shows that what you are doing is important and worth trying hard for.<br />Before I have a doubt meltdown I always remind myself that nothing horrendous will happen to me and it's far better to doubt than regret.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12175484309679484087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-46440638358359680882012-06-14T20:31:59.563-04:002012-06-14T20:31:59.563-04:00Thank you so much, Jo! I can relate to your experi...Thank you so much, Jo! I can relate to your experience in many ways. I hope that some of these techniques can help you to get through exciting/terrifying times in the future--isn't it funny how they so often go hand-in-hand? Best of luck!Natalie Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03942601245897759078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-80021715119153168292012-06-14T17:50:01.393-04:002012-06-14T17:50:01.393-04:00A great post. I'll use some of these technique...A great post. I'll use some of these techniques. When I got a request from M&B I didn't write at all for 2 days. The first day was because I was too excited. The second because I was downright petrified. Going to make a permanent link to this article as a pep talk for the future.Jo Feredayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11598807869596942594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-9006807134898342822012-06-13T11:04:48.586-04:002012-06-13T11:04:48.586-04:00SO true, Sherri! And I'm not sure why that is....SO true, Sherri! And I'm not sure why that is. I find that I'm so used to picking apart my own writing that I don't know what I'm doing right, and it's valuable to know that side of things, too.Natalie Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03942601245897759078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-17505675794205652702012-06-13T11:02:53.580-04:002012-06-13T11:02:53.580-04:00Oh yes. Hitting that "submit" button get...Oh yes. Hitting that "submit" button gets me all knotted up inside, too. It's a whole different game when your writing is put out for judgment. Hugs. :-)Natalie Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03942601245897759078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-17246151494445631432012-06-13T10:06:02.463-04:002012-06-13T10:06:02.463-04:00Great post, Natalie. And, unfortunately for writer...Great post, Natalie. And, unfortunately for writers, it's easier to find negative reinforcement than positive. There's always someone willing to tell you what's wrong with your writing!Sherri Shackelfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05383603814075105794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-6153232015179950972012-06-12T13:25:25.266-04:002012-06-12T13:25:25.266-04:00I think this was a great topic choice for a post, ...I think this was a great topic choice for a post, Natalie. Self-doubt is so horribly crushing, but unfortunately seems to come with the job. It's so interesting to see how it affects us all at different times of the process too. For me it's submissions. I can write and write and write and get so absorbed that I don't bother to look up to see whether the doubt crows are circling. Then the minute I decide to submit something, they're perching on my computer, desk, windowsill, shoulder - you name it. It's definitely the hardest part of the process for me. Hugs xxlindsayjpryorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04239789812547963379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-17931350305246274182012-06-11T18:35:47.947-04:002012-06-11T18:35:47.947-04:00Thank you, Aimee! Yeah, sometimes you just need a ...Thank you, Aimee! Yeah, sometimes you just need a break. A little laziness can go a long way for creative breakthroughs. :-)Natalie Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03942601245897759078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-70932865151236393462012-06-11T15:42:21.878-04:002012-06-11T15:42:21.878-04:00Great post Natalie. The lazy part of my brain rear...Great post Natalie. The lazy part of my brain rears its ugly head often. I mostly boot it to the curb, but there's those days when it wins out. :o)<br />xAimee Duffyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05710628023230404907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-12026050352542344532012-06-11T10:08:34.705-04:002012-06-11T10:08:34.705-04:00Hugs, Jennifer! It's hard to see the value in ...Hugs, Jennifer! It's hard to see the value in your own writing when you're so close, isn't it? Plowing through and building your book word by word, sentence by sentence, and witholding judgment until the end is sage advice. Rewriting is where the real magic happens, anyway. :-)Natalie Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03942601245897759078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-48041080399181625222012-06-11T10:03:53.639-04:002012-06-11T10:03:53.639-04:00Thank you so much, Alexandra! Ah, you can come sit...Thank you so much, Alexandra! Ah, you can come sit next to me on the over-thinkers bench. That can be terrible for doubt. Something that helps me to not over-think is to force myself to write quickly and without judging my words (to the extent that's possible). Free writing has done wonders when I've gotten stuck. You can do it! And thanks for the congrats on the marathons. I can honestly say that running a marathon is easy compared to writing a novel: the path is clear and all you have to do is put one foot in front of the other. :-)Natalie Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03942601245897759078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-55842713891235187442012-06-11T09:52:50.116-04:002012-06-11T09:52:50.116-04:00Great post! And congrats on finishing 2 marathons....Great post! And congrats on finishing 2 marathons. I know those take a lot of determination and hard work. I'm glad you didn't let the 'doubt' win. <br /><br />For me doubt dogs my steps through the tough beginning (trying to get ALL of the details in there without losing pace) clear through to almost the end of the first draft. I'm certain that everything I've wrote up until that point is drivel. LOL. By the end though I can see the story threads starting to pull together and then the doubt subsides and I think that with some editing/polishing it might not be so bad. *G* <br /><br />I've never tried talking through my fears/doubts. I usually just banish them to the back of my mind while I write down a sentence. And when it isn't so bad. I write a couple more. And once I've decided that they have some merit, I'm usually on a roll with a scene and the doubt slips away. Thankfully. At least until the next day. *G*Jennifer Fayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12133239078169479100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-15742717089379071562012-06-11T09:48:50.267-04:002012-06-11T09:48:50.267-04:00Great post. Quite often it's the 12-14k mark f...Great post. Quite often it's the 12-14k mark for me is when things start to go badly wrong. I've started the novel with enthusiasm and flying high on the wonderful feeling of a new story idea. Then I hit a brick wall. I can't go through it, over it or round it. This is usually the point where I have to start seriously thinking about where I want the story to go and when you stop to think, you can over think. And that's my weakness that the doubt crows are looking for. I am now armed with a catapult to get rid of those pesky crows. I just have to improve my aim. Congratulations on running two marathons!Alexandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04383311853875982439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-74500817407095746802012-06-11T09:09:41.211-04:002012-06-11T09:09:41.211-04:00What's so difficult about the opening chapters...What's so difficult about the opening chapters? I mean, you're only setting up an ENTIRE NOVEL! You know I feel your pain, Olivia. Yes, sometimes the only way to beat doubt is to roll up your sleeves and do the work. I often find myself reading great books and assuming that the writer didn't have nearly as difficult a time as I do, but this isn't a fair assumption and it only feeds my self doubt. As far as I know, doubt and struggle are universal among writers. :-)Natalie Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03942601245897759078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-40519995052742019182012-06-11T09:02:58.859-04:002012-06-11T09:02:58.859-04:00I couldn't agree more, Victoria. The "new...I couldn't agree more, Victoria. The "new" can be frightening, and it can stop us from taking on a lot of experiences. I shudder to think about how many stories I haven't even attempted to write because I was plagued by self-doubt. It's so true. :-)Natalie Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03942601245897759078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-55762137681500977042012-06-11T08:57:09.201-04:002012-06-11T08:57:09.201-04:00Hi Charlotte! Ugh, saggy middles. Don't get me...Hi Charlotte! Ugh, saggy middles. Don't get me started! I'm facing one now and it feels like I'm knee-deep in molasses as I head toward the black moment. I couldn't agree more about pushing through and getting the words down. I tell myself that I can't edit a blank page. :-)Natalie Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03942601245897759078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-47279677700374413642012-06-11T08:54:47.390-04:002012-06-11T08:54:47.390-04:00Thanks for stopping by, Leah! Junk is the right wo...Thanks for stopping by, Leah! Junk is the right word for all of the stuff bouncing around in our heads. And YES -- starting is difficult for me, too! I often feel like my stories are just perfect...until I actually sit down and face that blank screen. :-)Natalie Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03942601245897759078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-43405669805348293772012-06-11T08:36:35.740-04:002012-06-11T08:36:35.740-04:00Great post, Natalie! I think no matter what stage ...Great post, Natalie! I think no matter what stage we are at in the process, there is always room for doubt and fear. My fears are the beginning - so much room for starting things down the wrong path - and, of course, disappointment... disappointing others, but mostly disappointing myself. Sometimes a specific scene is just hard to write, and trudging through "usually" leads to feelings of relief afterward, with "most" doubts faded... Maybe this comes back to that theory about us actually fearing hard work:-)Olivia Mileshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07440900565624321487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-42806156149874888742012-06-11T08:32:35.750-04:002012-06-11T08:32:35.750-04:00Great post, Natalie! Especially for a Monday morn...Great post, Natalie! Especially for a Monday morning, when the weekly to-do list is so daunting. Doubt applies to so many areas of our lives. I face doubt whenever I want to try something new. I keep asking myself why I'd want to try something new if the status quo is working. But it's so important not to let doubt be the reason we don't try and get out of our comfort zone! :-)Victoria Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03678423453423417376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-62899433313030771152012-06-11T03:58:01.159-04:002012-06-11T03:58:01.159-04:00It's a constant battle, isn't it. For me, ...It's a constant battle, isn't it. For me, it's worst halfway through a story where I feel I've done tons but the end isn't in sight and I'm floundering. Planning helps a bit, but mainly it's just gritting teeth and getting the words down. Great post!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04024839242400375699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7156535934178525341.post-87156654481223561832012-06-11T01:17:00.074-04:002012-06-11T01:17:00.074-04:00Great post!
My doubt kicks in whenever I sit down...Great post!<br /><br />My doubt kicks in whenever I sit down to write, although as soon as I start to write, it reduces somewhat. It's the getting started that can be the problem sometimes :)<br /><br />I've tried the writing down my fears thing before, although I hadn't realised it was an actual technique! It was more about getting all the junk in my head *out* so I had space left be creative :)Leah Ashtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07541640223609201519noreply@blogger.com