One thing I’m jealous of in old writers (30+ years) is that all wholly understood that self doubt is a bi-product of being creative, like beauty products are the rebranded bi products of the petroleum industry.
The doubt is always there and after a while you stop trying to cure it and go ahead anyway.

For me, I like to write bad stuff purposely just to piss people off. And if you want a good example of how that can work, read Last Exit to Brooklyn. Mike Knittel put me into that and it gave me the courage to edit my own work and stop giving a fuck what people think. It’s a very successful book with probably the worst structure grammar I’ve ever come across.

I read my own books often and I’ve been called an egotist. But why wouldn’t I? My books are written exactly as I like them and I find most other stuff boring. The point is, I write for me and if someone else likes it that’s none of my business.

It’s time to wear that self doubt with pride, Kid. Cos you aren’t a real writer till you start to really suffer from it. Read about all the ‘greats’. Even that boring bastard Hemmingway suffered from it all the time 🍀