Think Positive

Writers are often plagued with too many negative voices in their heads. These voices send messages that discourage them, telling them they're no good, they don't measure up, and they are foolish for even trying to write. If the voices have their way, very little writing gets done and some writing careers end before they've even had a chance to get started. Those voices, however, can be conquered. It requires a little rewiring and approaching your writing projects from a different perspective. You may be daunted by the challenge of writing an article or essay you've been assigned, for example, telling yourself before you even start that it will be no good. The key is to shut off that voice, back up, and look at the project as a collection of smaller parts instead of a huge, overwhelming whole. Then begin to focus on the parts of it you can do well. Maybe you're good at topic selection or outlining or creating titles. Whatever it is, do those parts. Don't worry about the whole project or the end result. Just focus on those small parts of the whole that you can successfully piece together one by one. As you do this, you will build confidence in your abilities and begin to see other areas where you can succeed. And most importantly, you will build momentum that will prevent you from becoming blocked by your fears and doubts. Focusing on what you can do rather than what you can't do will help you get the work done and become a better writer in the process.