There will come a time when you are writing – for some it happens every time – when you are absolutely 100 percent sure that what you are writing is complete garbage. This especially happens when you are writing something long or something very important. You will hate it. You will wonder why you thought you could write in the first place. You will wonder why on earth you agreed to write this article/blog post/white paper. You will wonder if it wouldn’t just be easier to work in a fast food restaurant.

I am going to tell you a secret: It’s normal. Writers don’t talk about it very much because – well who wants to admit to writing garbage?

Two things to keep in mind:
1) It is very possible that what you have written is not garbage. It is possible that it is actually quite good and you are so consumed with wanting it to be good that you can’t see it yet.
2) Even if it is garbage, that’s okay – you can and will make it better. Just get the words out – you can rearrange them later.

When you hit the mud and you would rather eat worms than write another word, spend a few minutes wallowing in self pity if you must, but then try something radical. At the top of your page, write “I do not suck. I am a good writer. I write words that inspire/amuse/delight….you get the idea.

When it comes to writing, nobody gets it right the first time and nobody does it well all the time. That’s what the delete key is for – just don’t use it right away.

Feel free to share your tips for getting over the low confidence slump…