As some of you know I have recently started writing a story called It's Hard for me, and as a writer, and I assume others have the same feelings, I am constantly bit with what I like to call the doubt bug. Allow me to explain myself, when I get an idea that I particularly like it comes to my mind with big bold golden letters, wrapped in a silky red cloth and displayed to me on a silver platter. To say the least, the idea is often given high praising on my part and I feel as though the world is just dying to read it. From there I swim in the honeymoon stages of creating a story, you know what I'm talking about, the time in which you think of the characters and plot line and feel as though every idea you have is simply brilliant and nothing you put to paper can possibly be wrong. Am I right?

This is about the time when the doubt bug decides to make his appearance. At first he doesn't really do anything but sit on my shoulder reading over it at all the effort I've put into what I'm about to write. He doesn't really bother me or make any suggestions, he simply nods and agrees with nearly every decision I make. In fact, he seems a friend to my writing, a useful alley in what will be a long, hopefully amusing, journey to my stories completion, but from the moment I put actual words to paper, or screen in this matter, he swoops in like a blood hungry bat and gives my head a good biting. He has poisoned me though it is not to my knowledge, no instead the bug allows me to fester in what will become my eventual downfall. 

The story I once thought to be wonderful and something everyone would like now morphs into something I can barely look at. I immidately start to doubt the quality of the writing, the characters actions aren't realistic anymore, and  all at once I feel as though everyone hates it, even if that's not what they have said. The same has started happening to It's Hard for Me, I have a strong love for the story and it has already made it past the initial poisioning from the doubt bug but still more doubt remains. I've started becoming discouraged because I haven't really had many views on it, and I don't have very many comments happening either. So I can't even tell if people are enjoying it, or if there is something that I need to fix. All I have really is my growing doubt and discouraging voice that is telling me to stop while I'm ahead. Only trouble is I don't want to stop again, I do that with a lot of my stories and they never even make it to the page, this one has and I would like to see what happens to the characters involved. I don't know what to think anymore. I wonder what other writers do to keep from getting discouraged?

Until next time, Fan.