Am I just a rubbish writer?

At my desk, 24th June 2026

One of the biggest challenges indie authors have to deal with is judgement – and the resulting self-doubt. Our achievements, or our lack of them, are in our faces every single day.

Now, I'm the kind of person who sets a lot of store by other people's judgement. I know I shouldn't, but that's the way it is. It's part of my character.

Since I was small, I've struggled to fit in. So, as you can imagine, putting my writing out there – and indeed, putting my videos out there – is a challenge. I'm actually inviting judgement, the very thing I dread. (There is a video version of this post on social media).

Socially, I use judgement to suss out what it is that people dislike about me – and try to fix it. In my writing, I want to find my audience – the people who enjoy my genre and style – and I use judgement to refine my writing so they keep right on enjoying it.

When I got my first rating on my latest book, and it was three stars, I should have shrugged it off. That's life. I expect a few negative reviews. Not everyone is going to like what I write.

But I really hate negative reviews with no feedback. And that's what happened today.

It's crazy hot, and I'm trying to stay motivated to write. But instead, all I'm doing is overthinking why they gave me 3 stars.

Were they expecting a longer book? Did they find a typo or an issue with flow? Do they rate everything three stars unless it's a favourite? Do they hate my style? Are they expecting a stronger plot or character arc - the kind of thing you simply can't fit into a twenty thousand word book? Or am I just a rubbish writer?

So yep, if you're feeling the self-doubt today, I get you.

But remember, without writers like us, willing to take a chance on ourselves, there would be no new voices to discover and no fresh releases to read.

Keep doing your best, keep hoping, keep believing, keep writing. You've got this.