Self-doubt has me by the throat. It has me in its grip and won’t let go.

I’m approaching the finish line for my fifth novel, and I’m doubting myself again.

Am I any good at this writing business?

What if this book is the worst I’ve ever written?

What if no one likes it?

I’m in full-blown panic mode before I realize I’ve been here before. I’ve written about this very problem. It’s in my blog.

In August 2019, I wrote a blog post titled ACTION: The Killer of Self-Doubt. I had just finished my third novel and was knee-deep in my fourth when that little voice said, Your last book was garbage, and this one won’t be any better.

I wanted that little voice to be quiet. But how could I stop it from saying those horrible things?

That’s when I discovered that taking action was the best way to silence my self-doubt. Doing anything to move forward with a task or goal would be enough to boost my self-confidence. All I had to do was write, and that nagging little voice would take a break and leave me alone.

Reading that blog post helped me get through today’s crisis of uncertainty. If an article I wrote two years ago is helping me now, maybe I’m not such a bad writer after all.

Take that, self-doubt!