Self-doubt has plagued me much of my life. Believe me, I know how debilitating it can be. So, when I encounter it in one of my clients, I can sympathize. I start by naming what the doubt actually is: fear of not being good enough, fear of being seen, or the old voice of a teacher or critic saying it’s not “right.” Once it’s named, fear loses some of its power. Then I shrink the task. Five minutes. One sentence. One sensory detail. The doubt lives in the bigness of “I’m going to write my memoir,” so I make the work small enough that the mind stops arguing. I’ll use timed prompts and exercises that focus on scenes rather than chapters.

I also tell writers: messy counts. The page doesn’t need to be good yet; it needs to be honest. You can always shape it later, but you can’t shape what you haven’t written. 

And remember, even the best writers experience self doubt. You’re not alone. 

Acknowledge the fear and start small. 

And if you’re ready, check out the Memoir Studio. Our small classes cater to all kinds of writers who are willing to feel the fear and write from the heart one sentence, one paragraph, one page at a time.