Writer's Fallout Shelter

What you describe is quite common. It's the internal editor, whispering in your ear, saying things like, "Who are you kidding? You show this to anyone and they're going to know that you're a fraud. No one is ever going to publish this garbage? You should quit now and get a job at Burger King before anyone finds out."

If you want to write, you have to push past that and learn to ignore those niggling self-doubts. It helps if you can tie the internal editor to the chair and put a couple rolls of duct tape over his mouth.

Seriously.

The manuscript that Liam is often poking me about? For the longest time, I would refer to it as a trite, cliche, space opera. Then, I got tired of LJ and our den mother smacking me, so I started referring to it as a traditional space opera.

I'm a good writer. I know I'm a good writer. It doesn't change the fact that the niggling self-doubts still exist and rise to the surface at inopportune moments.