I watched a video about writers and how to handle self doubt. The woman who made it said something that I have heard before and like before, it really clicked with me and I really wanted to share it with you guys.  

WRITERS ARE AWESOME!

Basically, what she said was, for some reason we 'as humans' always remember the negative things that are said to us and never remember the positive things.  This is so true.  I don't know why, but like what she said:  Our brains are just wired that way.  I think it's that pesky little craving we all have to want to be accepted by everyone.  

(Oh, we humans how we love our pain.)  [Yes, unfortunately, writers, we are still human - even if we are just a tintsy bit cooler than your average person ;)]

****** I wanted to give you guys some tips on how to keep yourself motivated when self doubt rears it's ugly head.  

TIPS

#1:  Take some or all of your best comments from your stories or just about you personally and print them out.  If you don't have a printer, just write them in a notebook or on loose-leaf paper and put them all in a folder.  When you are feeling down, you open that folder up and read them all.  If you're like me and really love stationary (or office supplies) like a second love, then put a Poster Board on the wall by your bed or over your work space, then you can just look over at it and always remember that you are not alone.  There are other writers out there who have your problem.  

In fact, reguardless of rather it's Writers Block, Self Doubt, etc., most likely every writer whose been around even just a little bit has probably experienced these problems more frequently then we'd like to admit. They may even be going through one or more of them now.  Maybe, by you reaching out, you can be inspiring for someone else who is in the same place you are.  

(Writers, WE ARE ONE!)  

#2:  Remember that you aren't alone.  If you are feeling alone, then reach out to some of your writers friends and talk with them.  Most writers (you know, the ones who aren't full of themselves) naturally want to encourage and pick up their fellow writers.  I have friends right now that I could go to and they always make me feel better.  If you don't have any writer friends, join an online group. There are plenty of them on Facebook.  

*(Aaaand, if none of them appeal to you, let me know and we'll start one of our own.  My groups are always encouraging.  I never allow bullying or anything of the such in them.) 

The best way to enjoy a group is to read their rules and follow them.  Treat others how you want to be treated.  If you are hesitant about something, don't feel bad about posting a question to make sure that what ever you're doing is ok (before you do it).  If the help you receive isn't positive, leave the group and find another one.  You 'do not' have to put up with hateful behavior.  Peace and encouragement is only a click away.  ;)

#3:  Sometimes, it helps to search for inspiration.  A lack of inspiration for even a short period of time can make us start to feel self doubt.  I usually search for images of the characters of whatever Fandom I'm writing for.  Sometimes, I even go through just 'Art'.  Realism, Watercolor, SciFi, Technology, etc.  

Look through whatever YOU want.  

There are plenty of places to do this.  There's the search bars, like Google (My personal favorite), Bing, Yahoo (My least favorite) - You have to click the search bar over from 'Web' to 'Images', that's where you find 'Just Images' at [I do this ALOT].  There's also, Pinterest (Looooooove!)  You can also just search the web for 'Inspiration For Writers'.  Reading helpful blog posts, finding Apps that help me organize stuff better - stuff like that, take the stress out of me just doing it all manually.  

It even helps to ask your writer friends if they use any particular tools to help them out.  I don't know about you, but I'm BROKE.  I love FREE APPS and I'm not ashamed to admit it.  They are simple and effective.  I've already made progress with a new story that I'm working on, so you won't hear me complaining any time soon.

#4:  This was also in the video that I watched, but I'd learned this lesson on my own.  It wasn't a pleasant experience.  (Don't go to a person for encouragement who always has something negative to say.  If they bring you down, they either don't know about writing, they are just hateful, or they are totally jealous of you and want to tear you down.)  Go to people that are encouraging and want to see you succeed.  Those who genuinely care about your wellbeing and happiness.  

******* This is all the tips I have on this subject for now.  I really hope they help.  If you want to reach out, ask a question, need support/encouragement, feel free to leave a COMMENT.  I would love to hear from you.  

>>>WATCH THE VIDEO THAT ENCOURAGED ME TO WRITE THIS POST.  (Her name is Jenna Moreci.  She is a Self-Published author and she is AWESOME.  I'm subscribed to her Youtube channel and Twitter.  She's informative, funny, encouraging, and has a snarky sense of humor that leave me rolling.)

~MORE~

Here are two tools that I use to make writing easier for me.  

(1) Chekhov Story Author

(It allows me to add images and small peices of information.  It also lets you record it.  This is good, if you are tired and want to just hit play and have your notes read back to you.) Basically, it helps me get the concept of my story together and work out the basics before I start writing.  It's also good, because, if I'm not in the mood to write alot, I can still add tiny bits of information and get myself a little further along.  I don't feel guilty after using it, because, at least, I did something.  It's good for when I'm tired.

(2) FocusWriter

It's a convenient, distraction free writing environment.  Basically, it's a full-screen page that you type on.  It takes up your whole screen, not showing all your tabs.  It helps you stay focused on 'just your writing'.  It takes away the tingling pesky craving to click on facebook etc.,.  It helps.  I recommend it.  

It even lets you change the layout of it.  My current one is a black page with lime green writing.  It's very scifi/hacker looking and it makes me feel 'Awesome' while I'm writing.  ;)  I think there are more setting you can change, but I haven't bothered with them.  I don't like using timers, and I use Youtube for mood music, so I don't need to use any of the other features.  As long as I can't get distracted when I'm writing (I'M GOOD).  ;)

I hope these help.  If you decided to use them, stop in and let me know how they help you.  Are they good for you or hindering.  If you find something better, let me know, so I can use it and share it with the writing community.  

Till next time guys, Peace!

Demitria_Teague