You really need to have confidence in yourself and your writing to get far.  We all have moments of doubt, but you need to retain some level of defiance in the face of bad reviews, stupid mistakes, and whatever else is hurled your way.  People speak about needing a thick skin, which is true.  Though, I’ll admit that there is a limit to what you can shrug off, so let’s not get into that chestnut of knowledge.

Confidence doesn’t stay within the realm of after you publish either.  There needs to be a faith in your ability while writing.  Imagine what it would be like to write your book and think everything you do is utter crap.  You end every day declaring that you’re the worst author in the world.  Why would you keep going if you feel this way?  Only reason I can think is that you’re some kind of masochist or somebody is forcing you to do this at gunpoint.  If those aren’t the case then you have to step back and do one of two things.  One is the last resort of quitting, which I think should be avoided as long as you want to be an author.  You can improve if you put the effort in and that’s where number two comes in.  Hone your craft and find people to support you.  Not blind loyalty, but those that want to help you improve and succeed.  This is where you can get your confidence from if you’re lacking.

Personally, I think there’s a difference of opinion on how easy it is to gather and lose confidence.  There are authors who are walls that you cannot dent and will always declare that they are talented.  This is a great way to make it through the world of writing as long as you don’t develop an inability to take criticism.  Still, there are those with flimsy confidence no matter what they do.  Build them up and one gust of wind will knock them down no matter their talent.  Remember that the world has optimists, pessimists, and everything in-between.  Author Land is no different and you really shouldn’t expect everyone to have the same level of confidence.  Sad fact of life, but you can make some authors worse if you take the wrong tactic.

Some ways to bolster your confidence:

1. Read your positive reviews when feeling down.  Not your negative reviews.
2. Show your negative reviews to friends in private and let them pick them apart.  Again, in private to take the sting off.
3. Do writing prompts to flex your ability and get some blogger praise.
4. Remember that there are more people who want to write or stop at a first draft than those who actually publish.  By hitting that button, you’ve moved yourself from aspiring author to published author.  That takes guts.

So, what do you do to help with your confidence and how important do you think it is?