Megan
asked
Sean Gibson:
Do you ever experience self-doubt as a writer? And if so, how do you combat that?
Sean Gibson
I experience self-doubt as a HUMAN pretty much every moment of every day; naturally, then, I think most things I write are abysmal, except for intentionally abysmal puns, which, ironically, I think are great.
I mostly combat that feeling with Scotch, and sometimes by injecting ecstasy into my armpits.
I’m (mostly) kidding.
Writing for public consumption, particularly if you’re at all the kind of person who really likes to be liked (e.g., me), is a terrifying thing to do. But, when you balance that against a compulsive desire to tell stories, make sense of the world, and, hopefully, make people laugh, think, or just feel a tiny bit better for a few minutes because they’re distracted by something that entertains them, it gives you the courage to put stuff out there that might, by all objective measures, suck woolly mammoth balls.
I can’t speak for other writers, but it’s that desire that gives me the ability to push through the (many) times I feel like I can’t write my way out of a very small bathroom.
Thank you for such a thoughtful question!
I mostly combat that feeling with Scotch, and sometimes by injecting ecstasy into my armpits.
I’m (mostly) kidding.
Writing for public consumption, particularly if you’re at all the kind of person who really likes to be liked (e.g., me), is a terrifying thing to do. But, when you balance that against a compulsive desire to tell stories, make sense of the world, and, hopefully, make people laugh, think, or just feel a tiny bit better for a few minutes because they’re distracted by something that entertains them, it gives you the courage to put stuff out there that might, by all objective measures, suck woolly mammoth balls.
I can’t speak for other writers, but it’s that desire that gives me the ability to push through the (many) times I feel like I can’t write my way out of a very small bathroom.
Thank you for such a thoughtful question!
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