Writing, editing, and researching are solitary pursuits by nature. They can be driven forward by passion and curiosity, or promoted by achieving greater heights. But they can also be way laid by self-doubt.

The voice can say,

• “You are not good enough.”
• “This will never get published.”
• “You should be doing something else right now.”

Along with a host of other (sometimes uglier) comments.

Have no fear! Here are the responses you need to counteract the little voice.

• “I am an accomplished professional. Look at all I have achieved academically!”
• “Many writers need to try a few projects before they hit on the one that gets published. By sharing my work, I will learn to be better and get that much closer to being published.”
• “I am setting aside time specifically to write. There are other tasks I can do right now, but being disciplined is important.”
• “Writing is a process. I am going to proceed one step at a time. Outline my idea. Write a bit. Then write a bit more. Then some more. Then edit it. Then show it to friends. ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’”
• “Every writer has doubts. I can write as well as many of my colleagues.”
• “All writers started somewhere, and I am no different. I may not have written/published much (or at all), but today I am going to make progress.”
• “Most people in my situation received little to no training in writing, let alone in publishing. I am going to gradually learn more about the process to ensure my success through talking with colleagues, sharing my work, reading books, participating in webinars, and interacting with TAA.”

Use the little voice as a motivator and a reminder. Acknowledge negative talk and then move on. Share your doubts with others one-on-one and you will find we all have them. Start that thousand mile journey with a single step and do not listen to your little voice when they are in a bad mood.

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John Bond is a publishing consultant at Riverwinds Consulting. He works with individuals on publishing and writing projects. Schedule an initial complimentary phone call at Publishing Fundamentals. In his career, he has directed the publishing of over 500 book titles and 20,000 journal articles. He is the host of the YouTube channel “Publishing Defined.”Contact him at jbond@riverwindsconsulting.com.