Overcoming Self-Doubt as an Unpublished Writer

Let’s be real: being an unpublished writer is tough. You’re working so hard to build stories from scratch, pouring your heart into them, and most days, no one sees it. There are no book deals or fan emails or glowing reviews to reassure you that you’re doing something right. It’s just you, your imagination, and a blinking cursor.

So yeah, the self-doubt hits hard. I’ve been there. I am there—more often than I’d like to admit. But I’ve also learned how to push through it, even on the days when the voice in my head tells me I’m wasting my time.

Here’s how I deal with self-doubt as a young, unpublished writer—and how I keep going anyway.

1. I remind myself that everyone starts unpublished.

It’s easy to look at published authors and think, They’ve made it. They’re real writers. I’m not. But the truth is, every single one of them started where we are—staring at a blank page, writing draft after draft, wondering if they were good enough.

Being unpublished doesn’t mean you’re not a writer. It just means you’re in the stage where the work is growing quietly. That part matters too. A seed doesn’t stop being a plant just because it hasn’t broken the surface yet.

2. I write through the “not good enough” feeling.

That voice in your head saying your writing sucks? It’s loud. But it’s also lying.

Self-doubt will try to convince you to quit before you’ve even given yourself a chance. The only way I’ve found to quiet it is to keep writing anyway. I tell myself, Okay, maybe this chapter is terrible—but I’m going to finish it. And more often than not, when I come back to it later, it’s not nearly as bad as I thought.

Writing through the doubt is how I prove to myself that I can do it.

3. I stop comparing my draft to someone else’s finished book.

This one’s hard. I read a lot, and sometimes I’ll come across a sentence so beautiful, I immediately feel like everything I’ve ever written is trash. But then I remember: I’m comparing my rough draft to someone else’s final product, and that’s not fair.

What I don’t see are all the revisions, rewrites, and rejections that came before that published book. I only see the polished version. So instead of comparing, I try to learn from those authors. What do I love about their writing? How can I grow from it, instead of letting it discourage me?

4. I focus on the love, not the outcome.

When self-doubt shows up, it usually wants to talk about results. You’re not published. You don’t have an agent. You’re not getting anywhere. But writing was never supposed to be just about external validation.

I started writing because I love it. I love the rush of a new idea. I love discovering things about my characters I didn’t expect. I love when a sentence finally clicks after struggling with it for hours.

When I bring my focus back to the process, not the product, I remember why I’m here in the first place.

5. I reach out to other writers.

Talking to other writers—especially unpublished ones—helps me realize I’m not the only one who feels this way. We all doubt ourselves. We all wonder if we’re wasting our time on something that may remain “just a hobby.” We all feel like impostors some days.

Having writer friends, whether in person or online, makes a huge difference. We cheer each other on, swap stories, and remind each other that this work we’re doing is real, even if no one else sees it yet.

6. I give myself permission to be a work-in-progress.

I used to think I had to prove myself before I could call myself a writer. Like I needed a book deal or a certain number of words or someone else’s approval. But I’m learning that being a writer doesn’t mean being perfect—it means showing up. It means caring enough to keep going.

I still have so much to learn, and that’s okay. I’m allowed to be in progress. We all are.

What Matters Most

Self-doubt is part of the writing journey—but it doesn’t have to be the end of it. Every time I choose to keep writing, even when I feel like I’m not good enough, I’m proving that I believe in the possibility of my own growth.

And maybe that’s what being a writer really is: having the courage to keep going, even when the finish line feels far away.

So if you’re an unpublished writer struggling with doubt, just know this—you're not alone. You’re not failing. You’re learning. And your voice deserves to be heard.