by Holly Huffstutler

Created on: March 17, 2009   Last Updated: March 18, 2009

To sink my teeth right into the cliche, many of us who dedicate a portion of our lives to creating meaning with the written word really are our own worst enemy. I believe it's safe to say that self doubt is common to all people, and perhaps animals and plants as well. (hard to tell, leaves don't speak)

Self doubt, fear of rejection, these are natural emotions. The problem is when writers let the various sources of intimidation stop them from taking chances.

The blank white sheet or screen at the beginning of a project is an intimidation all its own. If one is unfocused then that white shining expanse can paralyze a would be writer into indecision, until one is incapable of doing anything other than typing "the"then stoppingthen erasing said tiny introductory word and arriving back at nothing.

When I don't know what to write, I mock myself. I use the cleverest sentences I can't think of to describe my current state of not knowing what to write. Self-deprecation usually gets the ball rolling, because I get annoyed with my fervent application of another natural emotion: self pity.

A way to put words on the page that is more likely to turn into and article, poem or book is to free write on your topic. Transcribe your notes, write down everything you think or know about the topic. It will give a physical representation of how much you really have to work with and from there on the remainder of your work might be adding adjectives and turning those bits of information into sentences.

But what if your intimidation doesn't come from your self doubts regarding one piece, but rather from your self doubts regarding how your work will stand up against other writers. Maybe you worry whether or not your work is marketable. Maybe you torment yourself with the self defeating thought that you will never sell that book or get that reporting job at the New York Times, so you never try to sell your wordsmith skills to the people who might be willing to buy it.

There is a lot of competition out there right now, newspapers are in trouble, many have fallen prey to a punishing economy therefore more writers are competing for fewer jobs. So rejection is an even more likely outcome for the modern writer than it ever has been. Rejection hurts, and rejection of something as personal as your writing can be seen as personal rejection. But it is most likely that you are the on the wrong side of 300 people applying for one job. Accept the rejection notice, or lack of an interview, move on, and keep writing.

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