Dean Koontz On Overcoming Self-Doubt

Learn from bestselling author Dean Koontz as he shares insights on overcoming self-doubt and finding the confidence to keep writing.

Dean Koontz is an American bestselling author known for his thrilling novels that blend horror, science fiction, mystery, and satire. Born on 9 July 1945, Koontz began writing while he was still in college after winning a fiction competition run by The Atlantic Monthly.

Since then, he has built a remarkable career, with his books published in 38 languages and more than 500 million copies sold worldwide. He is the author of many popular novels, including the Odd Thomas series and the Jane Hawk novels.

He says: ‘Write what you are most passionate about writing. Don’t scope the market and write what you think is currently hot. What is currently hot will not be hot three years from now, and you won’t at that time want to be labelled as a writer of that particular genre. Make your own genre as best you can.’

In this post, enjoy Dean Koontz’s thoughts on overcoming self-doubt and finding the confidence to keep writing.

Dean Koontz On Overcoming Self-Doubt

‘I have more self-doubt than any writer I’ve ever known. That is one reason I revise every page to the point of absurdity!
The positive aspect of self-doubt – if you can channel it into useful activity instead of being paralysed by it – is that by the time you reach the end of a novel, you know precisely why you made every decision in the narrative, the multiple purposes of every metaphor and image. Having been your own hardest critic you still have dreams but not illusions. Consequently, thoughtless criticism or advice can’t long derail you.
You become disappointed in an agent, in an editor, in a publisher, but never discouraged. If anyone in your publishing life were to argue against a particular book or a career aspiration for reasons you had not already pondered and rejected after careful analysis, if they dazzled you with brilliant new considerations, then you’d have to back off and revisit your decisions. But what I was told never dazzled me.’

Because he has worked through every page, powered by his self-doubt, Dean Koontz is able to move forward with confidence.

Read more here: Dean Koontz
Source for Image: Author’s Publicity Team / Photo credit Douglas Sonders

by Amanda Patterson

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TIP: If you want help writing a book, buy The Novel Writing Exercises Workbook.