I recently received this question about having confidence in your fiction. Here it is in full...
"I have finished writing my first book. Actually I am on my third book. It is a series. The first book is almost ready to go live. All of a sudden I am now extremely nervous, almost to the point of having a panic attack. What if my book actually sucks? I mean I think it is good but what if nobody else does? I already have two book signings scheduled for the end of June, and my book is on our town's summer reading list. It is a young adult fiction thriller. I guess what I want to know is if this is normal? Do all authors feel this way, especially on their first book? I have lost all my confidence. Please give me a word of advice."
First off, Tracy, congratulations on your success. You have obviously worked hard and are now about to reap the rewards. This is the time to enjoy what you have achieved, not to have misgivings about it!
Is it normal for authors to feel the way you do? There are as many different ways to feel about a novel being published as there are writers who write them. Brash and confident novelists will likely feel very differently about their books as shy and sensitive ones. But that doesn't make the sensitive writer's fiction any less good.
The key point in your question is that you believe your fiction is good enough to get published. And that is what ultimately counts. So take my advice and feel proud of what you have achieved.
All any writer of fiction can do is work to the best of his or her ability. So long as you have done that (and I'm sure you have) then you must have confidence in your fiction.
When your novel does "go live", though, beware of unrealistic expectations. What, to you, is a momentous day in your life is actually an ordinary day for most other people.
It's like walking out in the street on your birthday - you feel special inside and can't quite figure out why nobody else feels the same way. What I'm saying is, enjoy your big day and feel proud of yourself, but don't be surprised if most other people carry on like nothing is different. Because, to them, it isn't.
Good luck with everything,
Harvey
P.S. Of course, a much more common problem than having mixed feelings (or even bad feelings) about a completed novel is having mixed feelings about a project you are just beginning.
In the section on How to Become a Writer, I talk a lot about preparing yourself for the long novel writing journey ahead. And part of that preparation, I guess, must be cultivating some belief in yourself.
How do you believe in yourself?
First, you must tell yourself that you have the raw talent to write fiction successfully. And I truly believe that everyone reading this does have the necessary talent. Why? Because without a love of language and a strong creative streak running through you, writing a novel would probably never have occurred to you in the first place.
(I talk about all of this in more detail in the article on the Myths & Secrets of Novel Writing.)
The second thing you need if you want to have confidence in your fiction is a strong work ethic. No writer, not even a professional, finds writing novels easy. If you think you will reel one off in a month or two, you will only produce a publishable novel if you are a genius.
Assuming you are not a writing genius (and 99.99% of writers aren't) You need to commit yourself, right from the outset, to work hard. Do that and you can be confident that you are going about it in the right way.
Finally, to have confidence in yourself as a fiction writer, you need to do everything you can to learn your craft (just like every successful novelist has).
Studying the information freely available on this website is a huge step in the right direction.