I recently signed my first writing contract. When people learn of my accomplishment they often congratulate me and ask how happy or excited I am. I always reply positively, which in the first moments of learning about the contract offer I was truly happy and excited to begin my journey as a professional author.  Sadly, I don’t think the feeling lasted twenty-four hours before those dark thoughts crept in: the publisher must have made a mistake, or everyone I know will hate the book. Initially, I felt alone. Other authors published easily with a smile on their face−see their Facebook photo for proof.

But slowly I found this topic coming up more and more with authors, and I think it is worth repeating. Writing maybe a solitary activity, but we’re not alone−and many people fake their Facebook photo (see my super smiling one for proof). A lot of my author friends experience the doubt and demons, even after publishing several books. At the ANWA 2016 Conference, J. Scott Savage spoke about how after seventeen releases, he still experiences the gut wrenching fear before each book release.

So how do we fight these demons that can threaten to take us down?

The first step is to RECOGNIZE THE NEGATIVE THOUGHT. Acknowledge it is a fear, an opinion, but not a fact.

Then QUESTION IT/MOCK IT even. Discredit it to give it less power.

Finally, REPLACE IT with an empowering thought, a mantra maybe. Personally, I don’t go around saying how wonderful I am. I’m not there yet, but I start with what I know to be true: I love to write. I write every day, and I write for a reason. The rest isn’t as important.

I hope this helps along your journey in writing or in life. I’ve love to hear any of your tips or experiences.

DeAnna