It took more hours than I care to admit and my jaw still aches from gritting my teeth, but I've done it! I've fought my way through a first draft of the story that didn't want to be written. It isn't fit for anyone else to read at present, but at least I have something I can work on and shape. If I had given up, I'd have nothing. Sometimes all you can do is plod on.
    When you're struggling through a patch when it's tough to find the right words–or any words, for that matter–it's all too easy to doubt yourself. Why put yourself through the agony, when the story's probably rubbish, you're a rotten writer, in fact, you're pretty useless all round? When an attack of self-ridicule hits you, counter the negative thoughts with memories of your successes. You may think if you have yet to be published that you haven't had any, but you're mistaken. Here are a few of the things you might not have considered: meeting a deadline; writing something that fits a theme' getting an idea while you were walking the dog/having a bath etc.; resisting the urge to check your emails again and writing an interesting sentence–write enough interesting sentences and eventually you'll find a way to join them into a bigger work, or you could use them as tweets.
    Prepare for the hard times by saving positive comments on your work and making a list of what you've already written. Take heart from the fact that everyone struggles from time to time. Everyone receives unhelpful criticism; everyone looks at other people's work and feels inadequate; everyone has days when the task seems impossible. Don't let it stop you. If you persist, you're entitled to call yourself a successful writer.