by Suzanne Lieurance
As writers, we often don’t realize how much our limiting beliefs shape the way we approach the page.
These limiting beliefs for writers—like “I’m not good enough,” “no one will read this,” or “I’ll never get published”—can quietly hold us back for years.
They keep us stuck in self-doubt, afraid to share our work, and convinced that success is for “other people.”
But once you spot those beliefs for what they are, you can challenge them and change them.
Here are 10 questions to help you uncover—and move past—your limiting beliefs as a writer:
1. What belief has held you back the most in your writing?
Maybe you’ve told yourself you’re “not creative enough” to write a novel, or that “real writers” don’t struggle the way you do.
Pinpoint at least one belief that keeps cropping up.
2. Why do you believe this?
Trace it back.
Did someone dismiss your writing as a kid?
Did a teacher tell you your story “wasn’t realistic”?
Keep asking why until you run out of answers.
3. What evidence proves this belief wrong?
Your belief is not a fact.
If you think, “I’ll never get published,” look around.
Plenty of writers—many less talented or less persistent than you—have published books.
4. What have you missed out on because of this belief?
Did you avoid sending out queries because you assumed rejection was guaranteed?
Did you skip entering a contest because you didn’t think your story was “good enough”?
List the opportunities you’ve passed up.
5. Is there any truth in this belief?
Be honest.
Has anything happened recently that truly reinforces it?
Or are you recycling old doubts from years ago?
If it’s been longer than a year since this belief was challenged, it’s time to reframe it.
6. Question its impact.
What happens if you stop believing it?
Imagine giving yourself permission to write the book you’ve been dreaming about.
How would your writing life expand?
7. What are you afraid of?
What’s the worst thing that could happen if you challenge this belief?
Rejection?
Embarrassment?
Readers not “getting” your story?
Most of these fears lose power when you look at them head-on.
8. How are you contributing?
Are you avoiding your desk because deep down you think, “Why bother?”
Do you compare yourself to other writers online and reinforce your own doubts?
Notice the habits that keep the belief alive.
9. What would you have to give up if you let this belief go?
Sometimes, we cling to limiting beliefs because they give us an excuse not to risk failure.
If you gave yours up, you’d also give up the safety net of staying small.
10. What would you gain if you overcame this belief?
Imagine the freedom of finally sending out your manuscript.
Picture the joy of finishing the draft you’ve been avoiding.
On the other side of every limiting belief is more confidence, more writing, and more possibilities.
Every time you hear yourself thinking “I can’t,” “I shouldn’t,” or “I don’t deserve it,” pause and ask: Is this reality—or is it just an old limiting belief?
Because here’s the truth: you can write what you dream of writing, if you stop letting those beliefs decide for you.
Try it!
Now, before you go, if you haven’t subscribed to The Morning Nudge, be sure to do that now, so you get our Law of Attraction Checklist for Writers and free access to our Private Resource Library for Writers, as well as a short email every weekday morning to help you manifest your writing dreams!
