Yesterday I wrote 8 pages on the Sydney novella. 8! We've now hit around the halfway mark.
Yesterday was difficult though…I was fighting the Doubt Monster the entire time. It's something I'll write about later once I gather my thoughts, but what I wanted to say now is that the Doubt Monster is a permanent fixture in all our lives, so if you think you're alone–you're not.
Before I made my first sale, the DM was always there, sitting on my shoulder, whispering in my ear about how I'd never get published. About how if I didn't follow "THE RULES," I'd fail. About so many things.
Now that I've sold, the DM's insidious messages have changed. Heck, the DM itself has changed. The DM can take the shape of humans (often fellow writers) who use seemingly innocent comments to sabotage you. It can come in the form of bad reviews. It can even manifest in books…books you think are awful but somehow got published–or books that are so great you know you can never come close to matching.
We all fight our own Doubt Monsters. I've got a mean one on my shoulder right now. But I got my 8 pages done because I had to. That Sven guy is like a damned drill sergeant.
So if you're experiencing your own Doubt Monster, keep pushing. You CAN write past it. What you write might be pure drivel, but at least SOMETHING is making it to the page. Every word lashes at that stupid monster. Every word bites back.
You. CAN. Do. It.
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Thanks for this, Larissa. The DM has been my worst enemy for the past three years, and so far it’s undefeated. Not comforting to know it’s still there after you’ve sold, though!
by Bekke
on July 18th, 2007 at 11:44 am
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How about we all get together and lynch the damn DM? You’d think, after so many books, it would shut the hell up, but nope. There’s only one way to handle it - write past it.
by Jo Leigh
on July 18th, 2007 at 11:57 am
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That is wonderful that you wrote your way through it. Congrats
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Bekke…sigh. That stupid thing just sucks. And unfortunately, it hangs around even after you’ve sold, though I’d rather deal with the post-sale DM than the pre-sale one. More pressure, but at least it’s good pressure, you know? And, btw, your DM is a moron, because there is NOTHING for you to doubt. You’re a FANTASTIC writer!!!
Jo, I’m all for lynching the bastard! Some nice razor wire, perhaps? 
Thanks, Terra! Hope you’re doing as well!
by Larissa
on July 18th, 2007 at 8:25 pm
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My DM isn’t a moron so much as it’s turning me into a moron, making me forget that I snagged an agent with a MS that had gone through several rewrites and tons of revisions. But still the DM thinks that I should write a perfect first draft now. Like that’s how most writers work, snort… 
by Bekke
on July 18th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
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hi 
Annie here from Alison’s blog. Thank you for visiting my blog to give me encourgment! I need it. So I’m going to try steph’s advice and write out of order. Anything to get the juice flowing again.
Thanks again
Annie
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I need a pill or something…maybe an exorcism to get my Doubt Monster out of my system. I’ve been fighting it for almost 2 years, and the darn devil keeps winning.
