How to Know if What You Have to Say Is Worth Saying
Every Story Is Worth Telling
I want to start off by saying that every one of us 8.3 billion humans has a story worth sharing. I know this because each human being has lived a life as rich and complex as your own. And I know it is the story that is deep in your heart that brought you to this page.
Writers rarely struggle with ideas, instead they carry around a wavering shiver of doubt. Sometimes that doubt is buried so deep that it shows up as procrastination, imposture syndrome, and indecision. It leaves you wondering are my ideas good enough or am I even a good writer?
Take a deep breath. Let it out. Your ideas are safe with me, they matter to me, and I can help you shape them into words that the world wants to listen to.
Let's explore why doubt is showing up in your writing life, and then we will talk about how you can gain confidence in your ideas.
True Experts Doubt Their Expertise
The people we have labeled "leading experts" are not always the most knowledgeable in the field. It is their own confidence in their own knowledge that makes us trust them. But it is not confidence on its own that makes an expert.
You have probably heard of "the learning curve," but very few people understand "the forgetting curve."
The truth is that no matter how much we learn, how many years we have spent in the field, or how many hours we have clocked on the job, we all have something in common. We forget. Which means that expertise is not a static status, it can only be retained with constant review and research.
Which is why no one is an expert at everything.
True experts doubt their expertise. They recognize their own limitations. They know that they can't be an expert in every area, and instead they open the doors to build a team. They build confidence in the things that they know, and in the network they can reach out to to answer questions they don't hold the key to.
That doubt you're experiencing doesn't mean that you are lacking expertise and you need to search out more knowledge. It means that you need to find people who are experts in the areas you are not.
In other words you will gain confidence in your ideas not just by knowing what you know, but also by recognizing what you don't know and accepting help.
Let's start exploring your idea. Books do not fail because the ideas are "not good enough." They fail because they are poorly planned, positioned, or polished.
The Question Isn't “Is This Interesting?” - It's “Who Needs This?”
Instead of questioning your idea, I want you to start exploring your audience. If you are writing this book as an asset to an existing business you may have already done some of this work.
Ask yourself:
Who struggles with something that I have already figured out?
What do I find myself helping people with again and again?
What do I wish I knew 10 years ago?
What do people keep asking me about?
It's not about selling to everyone, it's about matching your idea to the right audience.
Don't Dismiss the Obvious
When you work in the field for decades, industry knowledge starts to feel natural and obvious. But when you look at the world from a different lense, the things that seem obvious to you often aren't to other people. Your book does not need to be a completely novel idea that no one has ever written about or thought about before. It just needs to be true to your knowledge, helpful for your audience, and to be written from your unique perspective.
If you're a business owner, marketing knowledge probably feels obvious, but there are a ton of people that could benefit from greater marketing that have no idea where to even start.
If you're a parent, juggling three screaming kids while cooking dinner and answering a phone call may be an average Tuesday. But multitasking skills do not come naturally to everyone.
If you are an educator you have probably taught the same lessons so many times that they feel like basic knowledge. You don't even count yourself as an expert, though you are very likely to know your topics better than anyone else in the field.
Expertise creates blind spots. Your strongest material is probably something you are dismissing because it feels too obvious.
Your First Draft Is Not a Test of Your Worth
First of all I want to reassure you that there is no "right" way to write a book. There is no "right" timeline, no "right" order to plan and write in, no "right" style to use. The only wrong way you can write is to not write at all.
Your first draft is a process of discovery. It is not a proof of your talent. Most books start with messy notes, messy ideas, and complex thoughts that drive the story in different directions. Many authors do not have confidence in their own ideas when they start writing them.
But by writing your first draft you are taking messy abstract thoughts and turning them into concrete written words. You are creating a manuscript that can be reviewed and polished. And often it is the messiest and hardest-to-follow first draft that contains real value hidden deep down under all of the typos.
I get a lot of satisfaction in taking something messy and helping you polish it up until it shines.
And by the time your book is written you will have built a lot of confidence in your own words.
You Don't Need a Brilliant Idea - You Need an Honest One
Readers are rarely looking for completely new ideas. They are looking for new ways to understand core human experiences. Your story does not need to be a revolutionary idea. It just needs to be honest and true.
Share your authentic story. Readers connect to authors that they can relate to and understand. Tell specific experiences in as much detail as you can remember. Bring your reader into your world with you and let them experience your life alongside you. That is how ordinary moments from your past become extraordinary. Your unique perspective, and hard won lessons will win your reader's hearts.
Conclusion
I hope that this post has shone a light on the value of your book for you. I know that your idea is good enough, and it is worth sharing, and I hope I've given you the confidence to get started.
You are already the leading expert in your field that you want to be. Just remember that you can't be an expert in everything.
If you struggle to write your book, evaluate your idea, or share it with the right audience, it does not mean that you have failed. It simply means you need support from the right expert.
I am your writing coach Jenny Mouse. I would love to offer you a free consultation. You can ask me questions about your idea, get feedback on your work, and explore what expert support could look like for you.
You can book your free consultation here
Disclosure: This blog post was written with HI (human intelligence)
AI was used for outlining and some headings