It’s only now that I know what my subconscious thinks writing has to do for me, that I can clear away the lies.
To try this for yourself:
Step 1: Write down everything you believe about writing—good, bad, ugly. What comes up when you think about sitting down at your desk to write?
Step 2: Rewrite that thought into something helpful.
So, “I don’t know how to write a novel” becomes “No one knows how to write a novel (even published authors), and yet novels are written all the time. I don’t need to know how to write a novel to actually write one.”
Step 3: Sit with that belief for 5 minutes every day for a month. Let the feeling of having written your novel wash over you. Take on the identity of being a writer.
Note: You can add in any habits here to get you to show up to the page. My favorite is James Clear’s Two Minute habit where all you have to do is the thing that would take you only 2 minutes to do. In this case, open up your document.
For me, the crux of all my misbeliefs boils down to the fact that I use “being a good writer” as a shield.
When I reframe those thoughts, I recognize that writing can’t “do” anything for me. I have to instead learn to believe that I am worthy/enough/successful exactly as I am. I have to stop avoiding all the bad feelings, and I have to stop waiting for my life to happen to me and start being an active participant in it.
And as a bonus, that starts to make the idea of a shitty first draft seem much less intimidating.