Things for Writers to Remember When Others Cause You to Doubt

by Beth K. Vogt @BethVogt

Earlier this week, I was watching “American Ninja Warrior” (ANW), which is a Monday night tradition in the Vogt household. Yes, I know I may have mentioned my love of ANW in other posts. During the commercial breaks, I stared at a blank Word document and mulled over this blog post.

And then this happened:

Christopher Harding Jones, a.k.a. the “Living Wide Warrior,” came up to take his run on the semifinal’s obstacle course. This teenager lives by the motto, “Living Wide,” which his dad also lived by after being diagnosed with cancer. Given only a few months to live, his dad lived for four more years. As the motto indicates, “You can’t control the length of your life, but you can control the width.”

Before Jones’ run, a video story detailed that he has sensory processing disorder, which can cause a person to have poor balance or poor spatial orientation. The video also showed how Jones’ dad built an entire ANW course in the family’s backyard. Becoming involved with ANW helped his son gain confidence and athletic coordination. 

After the video, Jones proceeded to be the night’s first competitor to conquer the 10 obstacles on the course and hit the buzzer. 

And that’s when Akbar Gbajabiamila, one of the ANW hosts, looked right into the TV camera and said this: “Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do something.”

And that is the point of this entire blog post.

• Did a teacher tell you that you can’t write?
• Did an acquaintance tell you writing is a waste of your time? 
• Did a family member tell you to get a real job?
• Did you tell yourself that you’re failing at this writing gig?

Read these words again, writing friends: Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do something.

Let’s be honest. Creativity is hard work with its play clothes on. 

Accept that reality and then ignore the naysayers and get to work. But don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do something—and that includes you!

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Things for Writers to Remember When Others Cause You to Doubt, insight from author @BethVogt on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” Having authored nine contemporary romance novels and novellas, The Best We’ve Been, the final book in Beth’s Thatcher Sisters Series with Tyndale House Publishers, releasers May 2020. Other books in the women’s fiction series include Things I Never Told You, which won the 2019 AWSA Award for Contemporary Novel of the Year, and Moments We Forget. Beth is a 2016 Christy Award winner, a 2016 ACFW Carol Award winner, and a 2015 RITA® finalist. An established magazine writer and former editor of the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth blogs for Learn How to Write a Novel and The Write Conversation and also enjoys speaking to writers group and mentoring other writers. Visit Beth at bethvogt.com.