Bryan Hutchinson - Writer’s Doubt: How You Can Overcome Doubt and Create Work That Matters

Table of Contents

Writers Doubt

How You Can Overcome Doubt and Create Work That Matters

By Bryan Hutchinson Copyright 2014

www.PositiveWriter.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. Disclaimer: The author is not a therapist or any other type of mental health professional. The author shares steps he's taken to overcome doubt. They are personal experiences, life-lessons and opinion only. This book is intended as food-for-thought. Any similarities to persons or other works are purely coincidental. Do not make any decisions solely based on any ideas, suggestions, advice and opinions contained herein. The author makes no warranties or guarantees. The author shall not be liable for any physical, psychological, emotional, financial, or commercial damages, including, but not limited to, special, incidental, consequential or any other damages. Each reader is responsible for his or her own choices, actions, and results.

Reviews

If you struggle like I do with self-doubt, then this book has good news for you: you just might be a writer. Like a good friend, Bryan guides you through his own process of facing his inner demons, conquering the craft, and creating work that matters. You wont regret reading it.

Jeff Goins, Author, The In-Between and Wrecked

With his trademark humility and honesty, Hutchinson has offered another round of encouragement for writers struggling in the trenches. He puts forth a round of solid advice on ditching the negativity that too often surrounds the writing life and moving forward to embrace the blessings of living a creative lifestyle. His thoughts are solid, practical, and always encouraging.

K.M. Weiland, Author, Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story

One of the greatest barriers I see writers face is unrelenting self-doubt, and this book addresses the issue like I've never seen before. By sharing his own story with signature candor, Bryan reminds us that we're not alone. With insightful and practical advice, he hands over the tools we need to face that doubt, overcome it, and create the work we're meant to create.

Dana Sitar, Author/digital publishing coach, DIY Writing

Read more reviews.

Special Thanks

Loving thanks to my wife, Joan Faith, for graciously allowing me the countless hours it takes to create, and for reading every word I write. Thanks to my friend Mike Hutcheson, who is always willing to look over what Ive written and for not being shy about letting me know when more work needs to be done. Huge thanks to Joe Bunting for his outstanding efforts editing this book and for his kind words in the foreword. Thanks to Jeff Goins and all Tribe Writers members, for your enthusiastic support and allowing me to bounce ideas off of you.

And most importantly, thank you .

For my childhood friend, Phil.

Without you, this book would have never been possible.

Rest in peace.

Table of Contents

Foreword

I was four months into writing my first book when I was struck by what Bryan Hutchinson calls Writers Doubt. It was my first major job as a writer, and I was already feeling stretched further than I had ever been. Then, one day, I snapped. I remember kneeling on the floor of my home, my manuscript open on the burning hot laptop on the couch beside me. I felt like my whole body was filling up with cold, piercing water. I was drowning. I put my forehead on the floor and moaned. I couldnt do this. I couldnt finish this book. I couldnt be a writer any more. I didnt even want to. I thought about myself five years from that moment and realized I would be happier if I quit being a writer. I never wanted to feel this stupid and helpless again.

That afternoon was one of the best experiences of my life because I learned something that would change how I viewed Writers Doubt forever. It didnt stop hurting, and I didnt feel better about myself, but I realized how crazy it was that I had my head in my hands and was rocking back and forth on the floor for a bunch of words on a page. This was just writing! It wasnt like I was in physical pain or anything. And so I decided I would finish 500 words. The pain, physical or not, hadnt gone away. Writers Doubt was still hitting me hard. I still didnt want to be a writer, and I definitely didnt want to be writing that stupid book anymore, but I wrote a sentence, then another sentence. And after an hour and a half, I had 500 words. I took the rest of the night off. And then, in a month, the book was finished.

Its no accident that I completed the book so soon after I experienced the worst case of Writers Doubt in my life. Writers Doubt, as Bryans excellent book shows, is a sign that youre close, that youre about to have a breakthrough. The truth is that if youre on the right track, youre almost certainly going to experience Writers Doubt. Its normal, its vicious, and you cant let it stop you.

Since that first book, Ive been lucky enough to write several more books, and watch one of them become a #1 Amazon bestseller in the Writing Reference category. Ive also gotten to help hundreds of thousands of writers deal with their own fear of failure on my blog thewritepractice.com. And yet, despite experience and success, every time I work on a writing project I care about, I hit a point where Im convinced I cant do it, that Ill never finish the project, that Ill never be the writer I want to be. This feeling used to debilitate me, but now it excites me. I know that the moment it hits me the hardest, thats the sign Im about to push through.

I first met Bryan just after we had both been chosen for an award for top writing bloggers. I randomly picked up his memoir and was surprised at how raw and open he was. His writing style was simple, but his story kept me reading far longer than I had intended to. When he asked me to write the Foreword of this book, I knew I couldnt say no.

This book isnt complicated. It wont win a Pulitzer, and it probably wont be reviewed by the New York Times. Its far sneakier than that. I have years of professional writing experience. I didnt expect to be challenged by this book, and then it kicked my butt. Reading it, I realized that I was still holding back. I still wasnt the writer I wanted to be. I thought this was just going to be another writing book. But now Im a better writer because of it.

I hope you never get to the point where youre kneeling on the floor, moaning, and feeling like you never want to write again. However, if you do and youve read this book, I know even drowning in Writers Doubt wont stop you because, as Bryan likes to say, Youre a writer!

Joe Bunting,Author, Lets Write a Short Story!

Introduction

If the Sun and Moon should ever doubt, theyd immediately go out. William Blake

Thank you for your interest in this little book on writing. Its a personal journal, of sorts, that chronicles how I rose above my angst to write every day and publish my work. This is an account of one persons drive, mine, to pursue my passion to write, despite being told by so-called experts that I would never be a writer. This is a book that demonstrates that you dont need to be a master to write books, much less to become a bestselling author.

I started writing my first book in 2007 when I was 37 years old. Since then I have written eight books, over 1000 blog posts, and quite a few magazine and newspaper articles. It has been one heck of a ride. Ive experienced obstacles and setbacks for which I had to find creative ways to overcome. There were times when I didnt think my books would catch on, and times when I thought I was writing only for myself, but as time went on the one thing that mattered most, was that I was actually writing and publishing. Ive never done something so consistently and prolifically in all of my life. It is because I let go. I stood up to the internal and external naysayers and finally began living my dream and following my passion.