A Study in Self-Doubt: Anne Bradstreet's "Author to Her Book"

by Jo Robertson

Colonial American poet Anne Bradstreet wrote a poem titled “Author to Her Book,” in which she uses a lovely metaphor. She compares her book of poetry to a child being sent out into the world unprepared by its parent -- dirty-faced, tattered-dressed -- not ready for the world to see it, judge it, or evaluate it.

Thou ill-formed offspring of my feeble brain,
Who after birth did'st by my side remain,
Till snatched from thence by friends, less wise than true,
Who thee abroad, exposed to public view

I identify with Bradsteet’s sentiments. Most writers never feel their works are complete or polished enough for the world to view and judge. Every time I read through one of my older manuscripts, I think of dozens of ways to alter it, make it better, or just fiddle around with the damned thing!

Extending her metaphor, Bradstreet insists that the book’s “visage was . . . irksome in [her] sight,” but because it was hers, she believed that affection would amend its blemishes. However, the more she scrubbed its “face,” the “more defects [she] saw” till at last, her poverty “caused her to thus send [it] out of door.”

Sound familiar? Your book is your child, birthed in sweat and pain. But there's a point when you have to send it "out the door."

It’s a given that we writers have a lot of angst. If we’re unpublished, we doubt our worth as writers; if published, we believe someone made a monumental mistake in acquiring the first book and surely it'll be a fluke if we sell another.

Self-doubt is one of the most debilitating of traits, and yet, most of us constantly denigrate our best efforts in spite of the evidence around us.

What do you think? Are you one of those who doubts yourself?

Do you always second guess your decisions?

Put yourself down when someone compliments you?

If you’re a writer are you too hard on yourself? Do we writers fail to admire our strengths and dwell instead on our weaknesses? Why do you think we do this?