Comments on: How to befriend doubt

By: Daphne Gray-Grant

Daphne Gray-Grant — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 23:15:00 +0000

In reply to Louise Julig. Thanks for mentioning meditation, Louise. It's a really useful practice for writers.

By: Louise Julig

Louise Julig — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 21:35:00 +0000

The practice of meditation can help recognize the fleeting nature of all emotions, including doubt. It has been very helpful to me in more parts of my life than I would have imagined.

By: Daphne Gray-Grant

Daphne Gray-Grant — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 05:49:00 +0000

In reply to David Carlson. Love the phrase: "Often wrong, never in doubt." Applies to many people I know! (And to myself!!)

By: David Carlson

David Carlson — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 03:45:00 +0000

One of our neighbors dresses in costume as an 18th Century fur trader, Jacques, the Voyageur. In character, he says, to avoid arguments with his wife, his attitude is, “Often wrong, never in doubt.” I practice the same attitude when providing weather forecasts, privately for my friends.

By: Daphne Gray-Grant

Daphne Gray-Grant — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 16:17:00 +0000

In reply to Charity Armstrong. Indeed. This is often the advice trainers give their clients. If you don't feel like running, just put on your shoes and go out for five minutes. Most people find that the five minutes quickly turn into a regular-length run!

By: Charity Armstrong

Charity Armstrong — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 16:13:00 +0000

In reply to Daphne Gray-Grant. Responding to Kelly's comment about committing to do just 10%. Elizabeth Elliot once counseled (in a different context) "Just do the next thing." How often I have used this counsel! I've found, just as Kelly remarked: Once i get started there seems to be an inborn drive to move forward that kicks in. And sometimes I just do bits and pieces of a project, no matter where they might appear in the piece at the end. That seems to "turn doubt off" and stir me to move forward.

By: Daphne Gray-Grant

Daphne Gray-Grant — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 01:26:00 +0000

In reply to Maureen Dunphy. You're very welcome, Maureen. I'm always glad to help banish a little doubt!

By: Maureen Dunphy

Maureen Dunphy — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 21:37:00 +0000

Thank you, Daphne. You’ve provided a very helpful framework, one which may help me further recognize “negative” emotions, such as doubt and fear, as having their own business to attend to, without me allowing them to derail my work, which is what they’ve been up to lately. I’ve been afraid to start a new phase of a book project because of overwhelming doubts, an embarrassing admission from someone who also coaches other writers. Thank you for sharing your own experience with doubt as well as your strategies for dealing with it. I particularly appreciate the word count log, something I used in another book project with great success!

By: Daphne Gray-Grant

Daphne Gray-Grant — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 14:21:00 +0000

In reply to Kelly Carter. Kelly, Thank you so much for these clever and intensely practical suggestions for dealing with doubt. Readers: I suggest you try them! I know I will be.

By: Kelly Carter

Kelly Carter — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 14:00:00 +0000

When I have doubt, I use a cognitive therapy technique that works for other problems (e.g., procrastination) as well: Before I start out on a task that I am doubtful about, I rate the task from 1 to 10 how (a) difficult and (b) unpleasant I think it will be. After I’m done, I review my grades, and re-rate the task as it really was. So far (for many years), in every case, my earlier grades showed that I have an exaggerated sense of how difficult and unpleasant a task will be. It’s always easier and more pleasant in the end. After using this approach for some time, and seeing the results, it builds up my confidence that I can take on a task even when I have doubts beforehand that I can’t succeed at it. Another approach I use for a task that I really dread doing is to commit to only doing the first 10% of the work. Inevitably, if I just START the task, I end up doing way more than 10%.