✍️ From Doubt to Trust: Nurturing Your Confidence as a Writer

By Kellie Nissen

Author Coach & Self-Publication Mentor
Founder of Just Right Words

💬 You’re a writer—start believing it.

❝“You’re not good enough.”
“You can’t write.”
“Your story isn’t that interesting.”❞

Do you hear that voice?
It’s persistent, defeating, demoralising.
And worst of all — it’s your own voice.

If you want to silence it — keep reading.

😟 The Truth About Self-Doubt

Self-doubt rides shotgun on every writer’s journey.
It whispers about unoriginal ideas, boring words, and impossible dreams.
It’s the enemy of confidence — but here’s what you need to remember:

Confidence isn’t something we wait for — it’s something we nurture.

Now, don’t shrug your shoulders and walk away.
It is possible to build confidence in your writing.
Here are 3 ways to start today:

🧠 1️⃣ Recognise the Inner Critic — But Don’t Obey It

The first step is awareness.
That critical voice you hear? It isn’t truth.
It’s your brain trying to protect you from risk.

💡 Try this:
When it shows up, name it.

“Here’s the perfectionist again.”
“There’s the imposter chiming in.”

By separating yourself from the inner critic,
you take away its power.

✍️ 2️⃣ Write Small, Win Often

Confidence grows through action.
Don’t wait to feel ready to write a novel — write a paragraph.
Then another.

🎯 Set tiny, consistent goals and celebrate them.

Momentum, not magnitude, builds belief.

The more you show up,
the more you prove to yourself:

“I can do this.”

🤝 3️⃣ Surround Yourself with Creative Safety

Creativity and growth need a safe place to bloom.
Find people who support your writing journey:

• A writing group

• A coach

• A trusted beta reader

✨ Being encouraged by others who “get it”
helps you see yourself more clearly.

You don’t have to do this alone.

🌼 The Confidence Secret Every Writer Learns

Here’s the truth: almost no writers are completely confident.
Even the successful ones still hear the voice of doubt —
but they’ve learned how to quiet it,
to project confidence, and to keep writing anyway.

They all started where you are.
They learned to trust themselves —
One page… or one paragraph at a time.

📝 “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt

📚 About the Author

Kellie Nissen is an author coach, publishing mentor, and the author of ‘What Cancer Said’ and ‘Tales from GoAnna’.

As a YTG40+ expert, her passion is helping women who want to write become women who write.

🔗 Just Right Words – Author Coaching & Mentoring