Monday February 9th
My guest today is Romance author, Susan Gable. Susan is the author of five published novels and has won numerous awards for her writing, including the National Readers’ Choice award. Given that track record, she has it made. Doesn’t she? Certainly she wouldn’t have bad days or doubts…
My guest today is Romance author, Susan Gable. Susan is the author of five published novels and has won numerous awards for her writing, including the National Readers’ Choice award. Given that track record, she has it made. Doesn’t she? Certainly she wouldn’t have bad days or doubts…
They've been after me for a while now, and the other night, I was ambushed again.
By the Doubt Demons.
I hate those guys! I'd finally managed to get some pages done on my new proposal. And as soon as I quit actually typing, the Doubt Demons started whispering in my ear. You probably know the kinds of things they say. "This is horrible. Your editor will hate it. Your readers will hate it. Who do you think you're kidding? No one wants to read this. You don't have a clue what you're doing."
Arrrggghh!
You know what slays Doubt Demons? Laughter. They can't stand laughter. I posted on my Facebook about my Doubt Demons, and before I knew it, two of my Facebook Friends had come to my rescue. We ended up having a really fun little chat about Demon Slayers, and boots (you know if you're going to be a Slayer, you have to have really COOL boots!) and Danny's Dead Demon Cleanup Service. (Because slaying demons is MESSY! And I certainly wasn't going to clean up that mess!)
And I know we were all laughing. I was. And I felt a lot better after that.
Friends, whether they're actually Demon Slayers or not, are another critical tool in slaying the Doubt Demons. Friends can tell you that you really don't suck rotten lemons as a writer, and this book will be good. (Of course, they can also tell you when you really ARE getting off-track. That makes their positive statements all that much more believable.)
I've also found positive affirmations to be helpful. I keep good reviews close by, so I can reread them. Doubt Demons shrink before good reviews like vampires before garlic and crosses. Positive letters from readers also help. (So if you're a reader, and you're toying with the idea of dropping an author an email, letting them know how much you enjoyed their latest book, DO IT! I promise you, the author is going to be thrilled. And just maybe, your letter/email will become a Demon Slayer!)
To a certain extent, the Doubt Demons serve a useful purpose. They keep us on our toes, always striving to deliver the best story/article/poem/whathaveyou to our readers. They make us rethink plots and character behaviors, word choices, and dialogue. They're our internal editors when they're of appropriate size. It's only when that internal editor grows out of control, like Dr. Jekel's Mr. Hyde, or Peter Banner's Incredible Hulk, that we have true Doubt Demons.
Know that you are not alone. It doesn't matter how long you've been writing, if you're published or unpublished, won lots of awards, hit bestsellers lists...the Doubt Demons strike all of us at one time or another. (And sometimes another, and another, and...)
But we don't have to let them win. Slay them with laughter, positive words, and friends.
***
Look for Susan Gables latest release, A Kid to the Rescue, Romantic Times Top Pick—4.5 stars. Release Date is February 10, 2009.
Visit Susan's website: www.SusanGable.com
