- Topic/Subject Matter: Oftentimes writers are stymied in a project because they have doubts about their subject matter. These doubts can involve questioning if the subject is important enough to write about, if it is an interesting topic, and if it's something readers would want to read about. All of these are legitimate questions and can be sorted out before starting a writing project. The first thing to be clear about with any subject matter is understanding why you want to write about it. What is your purpose and how invested are you in achieving that purpose? If you're not invested and interested in your subject matter, your readers won't be either. Another thing to consider with regard to topic selection is having a good idea of the topic's saturation status. Has it already been written about extensively? Is there anything new you can add to the mix? Sorting out your interest level and readers' interest level in your subject matter will ensure that you are writing about something you care about and that you can help readers care about.
- Content: Subject matter may not be a source of conflict for some writers, but the content of their work may be. Doubts about the validity and thoroughness of content can leave writers hanging, unable to finish their work. A great topic is useless if the writer can't execute the content successfully. Several guides can be utilized to ensure good content or good treatment of a subject. First, make sure your subject matter is thoroughly researched. This means consulting multiple sources with multiple viewpoints and not relying on a single source or a single perspective. Second, cross-check your reference material against other similar sources and look for consistency. There is strength in numbers and if multiple sources agree on something, its reliability is heightened. Speaking of reliability, make sure your sources are reliable, credible sources that would stand up to the rigors of library or research standards. And always double check your facts. In fact, triple check them. Inaccurate information will place the entirety of your content in question. Erase your doubts about content by committing to being as thorough and reliable as you can and your readers will thank you for the effort.
- Length: Sometimes it's the length of a writing project that trips writers up. They can have doubts about whether they have too little or too much content and it renders them unable to do the crucial editing work essential to completing a project. The first thing to be clear about with regard to length is the type or genre of writing you are engaged in. There are clear parameters for most types of writing, whether fiction, nonfiction or poetry, and it is prudent to become well-versed in those generally accepted and expected parameters. Specific writing assignments will have specific guidelines with respect to length as well. So research the guidelines before you begin writing and ease your doubts about length. Another thing to be concerned with, besides just word count, is writing that is either too wordy or not wordy enough. When assessing your writing, look for repetitious material, unnecessary explanatory content, or filler material that adds to your length but doesn't contribute any real value to your content. Also look for unclear or abbreviated content that leaves readers with more questions than answers or leaves them with only partial or confusing information. Solving doubts about length can be tackled by following the general parameters for the work you're producing; but, beyond that, editing your work for clear, effective content that presents your message in the best way possible.
- Writing Ability/Skill: This is the toughest doubt that can creep into a writer's mind. Nagging uncertainties about whether or not a writer is up to the task can stop the writing impulse completely. The best way to overcome these doubts is to just keep writing. Don't judge or edit what you're writing in the moments of doubt. Just put words on the page and do that consistently until the doubts start to subside and you can look at your writing with a clear head. You are essentially shutting doubt out and writing in spite of it. If you need to set a timer and force yourself to write for a certain length of time non-stop, then do it. If you need to just write nonsense on a page for awhile, then do it. Use whatever techniques work for you to keep you writing and to keep the momentum going. Other techniques to deal with writing doubts are to set word count goals for your writing sessions and set deadlines for completing work. These artificial structures keep you pushing to put words on the page no matter what. They help you work past the doubts about your abilities because you're focused on word counts and deadlines rather than yourself. Shut down the doubting voices in your head with whatever tricks work for you and you'll be amazed how easy it will become to keep this distraction at bay.
Writing through doubt involves overcoming uncertainties about subject matter, content, length and your own writing abilities, as well as any other doubts that may be nagging your writer's mind. Having a clear purpose for your writing, writing clear and effective content, presenting your message in the best possible way, writing without judging and having specific, concrete goals will ensure that your writing doubts are minimal and your production maximal. Doubt is inevitable but your succumbing to it is not. Take control of your doubts and watch your writing flourish!
