Tag Archives: confidence

The Woe of Self-Esteem and Confidence (And How to Beat It!)

Tips July 11, 2019 Leave a comment

Hello, everyone!

This week's writing tip is all about self-esteem and confidence… two hard concepts to keep when they grace you with their magic. However, I have a tip and a real story to share with you about how to get confident and raise your level of self-esteem. Ready?

Let's get started!

The hardest thing to do when one wishes to write is actually sitting down and writing something. But let me tell you that

a) you will NEVER grow your confidence if you don't write. At all.

b) in order for your self-esteem to rise, you need to stop making excuses and find the time to write – you shall feel much better afterwards. You'll see. It's a step in the right direction.

I know, I know. Life is crazy fast. So how does one sit down to write when we have to wash the dishes, etc.? The answer is as simple as it's hard to apply: Make writing your priority. I kid you not. I've been reading how-to books on writing and they all say the same thing. Guess what? They're right. I've been trying it the past few days and my NaNo Prep improved. 🙂 I am now into world-building. It's quite impressive being at that point taking into consideration that I only had a concept for the story two weeks ago. If you don't make it your priority, you'll feel bad and guilty for not writing, which is the exact opposite of how you should feel for your self-esteem to rise!

As for confidence, I have a little story to tell you: This week, I wrote a flash fiction for a contest and posted it on Scribophile for reviews. For the second time in my life, I received a terribly negative review, which came as a shock to me (I'm not used to receiving poor feedback, my stories usually being great). I was hurt. Sincerely. My confidence in my writing took a step back… but then, something awesome happened. Three other people reviewed it afterwards. Their reviews were good and constructive. It made me feel better and more confident.

Moral of the story? Believe in what you can do and share it. If you don't share it, how can you know people will actually like it? You can't grow your confidence by keeping it a secret… Yes, sometimes it hurts like hell, but other times (and those are the important ones) it's as sweet as honey and crucial (as they give you constructive reviews).

You see, confidence isn't a straight line. It's more like a roller coaster. Aim for the climb at the summit, though be aware there will be hurtful going down. When you're at the top of the roller coaster, analyze what got you there. Then cherish it. Write it down, if necessary. This way, during rough times, you can look back at it and know how to work on your confidence.

Did you know that James Patterson, bestselling author of 76 novels, got rejected 31 times when he was starting out?! It's not because a certain someone, professional or not, dislikes your writing, that it is bad. Other people will see something good in it; thrive on this! And improve what you can. It's the only way you will grow your confidence. By sharing your work and becoming vulnerable. It's unpleasant, I know. But it's worth it in the long run.

Self-esteem and confidence are friends of your writing and sharing. It comes hand in hand with them.

I wish you all the best with your writing.

If you have questions about today's tip, ask me in the comments below!

On this: Just write!  

Off the Roller Coaster Ride (Updates!)

chit-chatting with Cat May 7, 2017 Leave a comment

Hello, everyone!

I’m sorry for not having posted lately, but I have three good excuses and updates. I must admit that these last two weeks hasn’t been easy for me in terms of writing. In fact, it was my darkest hour, I would say. I was genuinely considering giving up writing altogether (except for book reviews). I was so desperate and sorrowful I had trouble going through my days. I kept thinking and thinking about my dreams, my stories, and how much I want them to be published. Then, quite unexpectedly, I found a few ideas for old stories of mine! Now, I can’t choose which one to finish writing between four stories! But it’s a problem I’m loving. This means my inspiration has come back somehow and even though my will is still fragile, it’s there and I’m holding onto it!

This brings me to something else that is writing-related: I finally identified the main issue in my stories. So, I bought writing craft books about it and I am reading them, hoping to fix this major issue soon. It’s silly and ironic, really, because I have always loved the villains in stories and preferred them over the main characters (except for Percy Jackson!), but the thing is I can’t seem to write a mean enough villain for my own stories! They’re always either too kind or thoughtful or they don’t really scare the reader or thwart the main character’s plan. See? But don’t worry, I am working on this and shall come back with an awesomely kick-ass villain!

On another note, I have just finished my legal translation class and scored an excellent grade. This helped me to decide that I’ll take a specialisation in legal translation, financial translation, and literary translation at the Master’s degree level. I am still at the bachelor’s level for now and guess what? I have only two classes left to take to be done with the basics! Then, my third and last year will start (it will be mostly about Spanish translation and review classes).

 

The last reason I was away is that I’ve been reading novels that I need to review this month. Thus, expect two reviews soon, my dears!

I shall post updates and news more regularly now, like I used to before these dreadful two weeks of what I call ”writing depression”. Thank you for reading as always and you’re wonderful companions on this journey!

See you next post, lovelies!

Two Truths Every Writer Needs to Read

chit-chatting with Cat, Tips February 13, 2017 Comments: 4

Hello, folks! I’ve been reading a lot of writing craft books and magazines lately and stumbled upon two pieces of particularly good advice. Every writer needs to read it, if only to remind us of the important basics. I really hope this post will help you like it helped me. I unleashed my creativity and killed my fears and doubts with these advice.

2-truths-best

 

So, for Advice Number 1, I quote James Scott Bell with the title of one of his books: ”Just write!” Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Actually, it’s a lot harder than what it looks like because in a continuous search for improvement of our craft, we tend to forget what we longed to do in the first place: write. In fact, we read, we talk, we go to workshops, but we don’t write per say. Or, when we do, it’s sporadic – we don’t write everyday for we spend our time thinking of improving our writing through various ways! I love that advice because it enabled me to realise that no matter how good my intentions are, I’m never going to make it if I don’t actually write every day. I seemed to push away my love and desire for writing in order to hone my skills. Don’t do like me! It’s a surefire way to have you stop writing. You have to fight the fear of not being good enough, let your love of writing take over you and write. Repeat every day.

You want to know something personal? I did exactly as I said above, meaning I forgot how much I loved writing and exclusively tried to improve through reading, etc. The result? I didn’t write a work for three whole weeks… Unbelievable! I knew it had to change, but I was looking for a miraculous solution. Then I saw James Scott Bell’s book title and description, and laughed at myself. It was so easy! It was right there from the beginning! I plucked up my courage and this week I’ve been writing every day. More importantly, I feel great about it. Of course, I still read writing how-to books and do writing exercises, but I’ve learned how to keep it all balanced. You can do it too.

I believe in you.

As for Advice Number 2, I’ve read it from two published authors: ”Whatever you do, don’t give up when it’s hard.” Again, it’s so basic stuff we forget it. Especially when it gets hard. What we must do is find back a bit (just a bit will work) of our love of writing and hang onto it through the storms! I know negative thoughts and feelings will take a hold of you. But your job as a writer is to not let them stray you from your own path.

Here’s another piece of my life to show you: These past weeks were not easy on me. I think in terms of writing I hit rock bottom. Why? Because all I’ve felt like was giving it up altogether. No more writing, no more dreaming. I was so desperate. It was becoming real… until I read that ”don’t give up when it’s hard” advice twice. It shook me to the core. It’s a simple truth yet we need to hear it when we’re down.

So, I’ve followed both of these advice this week and guess what? I’ve plotted not one, but two stories at the same time! I’ve got numerous sheets of paper to prove it. I’ve never been so prolific! The advice were so simple yet crucial. When in doubt, tell them to yourself and cling to them.

Do it for the love of writing.

Just write and don’t ever give up.

The Woe of Self-Esteem and Confidence (And How to Beat It!)

Tips October 14, 2016 Comments: 4

Hello, everyone!

This week’s writing tip is all about self-esteem and confidence… two hard concepts to keep when they grace you with their magic. However, I have a tip and a real story to share with you about how to get confident and raise your level of self-esteem.

Ready? Let’s get started!

The hardest thing to do when one wishes to write is actually sitting down and writing something. But let me tell you that a) you will NEVER grow your confidence if you don’t write. At all. b) in order for your self-esteem to rise, you need to stop making excuses and find the time to write – you shall feel much better afterwards. You’ll see. It’s a step in the right direction.

I know, I know. Life is crazy fast. So how does one sit down to write when we have to wash the dishes, etc.?

The answer is as simple as it’s hard to apply:

Make writing your priority.

I kid you not. I’ve been reading how-to books on writing and they all say the same thing. Guess what? They’re right. I’ve been trying it the past few days and my NaNo Prep improved. 🙂 I am now into world-building. It’s quite impressive being at that point taking into consideration that I only had a concept for the story two weeks ago.

If you don’t make it your priority, you’ll feel bad and guilty for not writing, which is the exact opposite of how you should feel for your self-esteem to rise!

As for confidence, I have a little story to tell you:

This week, I wrote a flash fiction for a contest and posted it on Scribophile for reviews. For the second time in my life, I received a terribly negative review, which came as a shock to me (I’m not used to receiving poor feedback, my stories usually being great). I was hurt. Sincerely. My confidence in my writing took a step back… but then, something awesome happened. Three other people reviewed it afterwards. Their reviews were good and constructive. It made me feel better and more confident.

Moral of the story? Believe in what you can do and share it. If you don’t share it, how can you know people will actually like it? You can’t grow your confidence by keeping it a secret… Yes, sometimes it hurts like hell, but other times (and those are the important ones) it’s as sweet as honey and crucial (as they give you constructive reviews).

You see, confidence isn’t a straight line. It’s more like a roller coaster. Aim for the climb at the summit, though be aware there will be hurtful going down. When you’re at the top of the roller coaster, analyze what got you there. Then cherish it. Write it down, if necessary. This way, during rough times, you can look back at it and know how to work on your confidence.

Did you know that James Patterson, bestselling author of 76 novels, got rejected 31 times when he was starting out?! It’s not because a certain someone, professional or not, dislikes your writing, that it is bad. Other people will see something good in it; thrive on this! And improve what you can. It’s the only way you will grow your confidence. By sharing your work and becoming vulnerable.

It’s unpleasant, I know. But it’s worth it in the long run.

Self-esteem and confidence are friends of your writing and sharing. It comes hand in hand with them.

I wish you all the best with your writing. If you have questions about today’s tip, ask me in the comments below!

On this:

Just write!