| April 24, 2025
Wisdom
Every writer has been there—that place where we feel despondent, hopeless, not good enough. I call it the "dark night of the writer," where thoughts like "I'm not cut out for this" or "I'm a fraud" creep in and take hold.
In my two decades of writing, I can't tell you how many times I've been there, and I'm willing to bet you have too at some point.
It breaks my heart when I hear writers suffering through this, even though I know exactly what it feels like to be there. (Maybe especially because of that.) So today, I want to share some practical strategies that have helped me break free from these moments in the past.
First, remember this: it's 100% normal. You're not alone in feeling like a imposter sometimes or wondering if you're really cut out to write. I've lost count of how many times I've read someone else's masterful novel and thought "what's the point? I'll never be this good" or reread my own scene—one I once thought was great—only to decide it's terrible. I've talked to countless bestselling authors who go through these periods too. It's part of being a writer.
Here are some concrete strategies for climbing out of the "dark night of the writer":
- Try a "bad writing" exercise. If your inner critic is being particularly mean, lean into it. Pick a writing prompt and purposely write it as badly as you can. Think of it like turning on an old faucet—sometimes you need to let the old, muddy water run before the clean water flows. My Foundations of Fiction course has several of these bad writing prompts that writers love. (I even do them along with you!)
- Write a letter from your future biggest fan. Imagine someone who absolutely adores your work and thinks you can do no wrong. What do they love about your writing? What do they find brilliant? Focus on something you genuinely feel confident about, whether it's your dialogue, descriptions, pacing, or something else.
- Create an accomplishment inventory. List every writing achievement you've had, no matter how small. (In fact, the smaller the better!) Finished a chapter? Write it down. Sketched out a character profile? That counts. Challenge yourself to make the list longer than you think possible.
- Read something that inspires you. Return to the books that made you want to become a writer in the first place. (For me it’s anything by Sophie Kinsella!) Sometimes just remembering why you got into this can help you overlook some of those shadows.
- Change your environment. Move to a different room, try a coffee shop, or switch up your writing tools. If you usually type, try pen and paper. If you typically write in Times New Roman, switch to a different font. Sometimes a fresh perspective comes from fresh surroundings.
Remember, the “dark night of the writer” isn’t permanent. Just like the Dark Night of the Soul beat ends with a breakthrough, this can too. Sometimes we just have to move through it to get to the other side.
Be kind to yourself.
- Jessica |
