by Reba J. Hoffman, Ph.D.
Do I really have to discuss
the stigma many people place on the thirteenth day of the month and how it is
dark, evil and wicked if it happens to fall on a Friday? Sounds childish when I
put it that way but there are many people who won’t go out on that day for fear
their will meet their untimely end.
Before you roll in the floor
unable to contain your belly laugh, what sort of untruths do you subscribe to
that keeps the writer in you locked inside yourself? Here are a few common
superstitions:
- I’ll never publish a manuscript if someone rejected it. Seriously? There are way more books in Barnes and Noble that were rejected—multiple times—before they found their way to ink on paper.
- I’m too shy to talk to an agent or editor. You have a voice. You have the ability to use it. You have the capability. So what if you quiver while you speak? Let your voice be heard!
- I’m not good enough. Think that’s not a superstition? Well, perhaps not but that belief will most assuredly keep you from moving forward. If you truly lack skill, take a class. Attend a writer’s workshop. Join a craft-ique group. Get the help you need.
- I can’t change genres. Really? Please don’t tell all those successful authors who either write for multiple genres or who have changed genres. Your first decision on what type of book to write may not fit your unique voice.
Do these sound familiar?
They’re like the “black cat running across your path” and “break a mirror” back
luck omens people believe, aren’t they? And yet, they are etched into your
psyche. Your emotions. And if you don’t tell yourself the truth, they will keep
you in on that day in the middle of your writing career month when you could be
out enjoying your author Friday night!
Look, don’t believe those
things. Let go of the superstitions you’ve come to believe about the course
your writing journey will take… and will not. Embrace the truth that you can
really walk this walk, travel the writing road successfully and have a
wonderful and successful career as an author.
Just don’t walk under a
ladder.
What writer superstitions guide your life? Which ones
have held you back? Share them here!
Reba J. Hoffman is the founder and president of Magellan Life Coaching (www.magellanlifecoaching.com). She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Counseling and is a natural encourager. She serves as Member Care Coach for My Book Therapy and is the author of Dare to Dream, A Writer’s Journal. You can connect with Reba through her motivational blog, Finding True North, or by email at reba@magellanlifecoaching.com. You can also follow her on Twitter at @MagellanCoach.
You left out a bird in the house and opening an umbrella in the house. Those were my grandmother's big ones. Actually I love Friday the 13th it has been my best day many times. I dread the Monday after. Guess bad luck is slow catching up with me. A lot of people do buy into this stuff. Liked your post.
ReplyDeleteYou left out a bird in the house and opening an umbrella in the house. Those were my grandmother's big ones. Actually I love Friday the 13th it has been my best day many times. I dread the Monday after. Guess bad luck is slow catching up with me. A lot of people do buy into this stuff. Liked your post.
ReplyDelete(I love Friday the 13th--just to smash a pie in the face of superstition. Actually, 13 is my favorite number...)
ReplyDeleteI think this past Friday was the highlight of them all, being at my first writer's conference. In fact, I met YOU that day! Thanks for letting me practice my pitch, and for your encouraging words, Edie...er, REBA (Yeah, I was paying attention to the faces on the sides of the posts I read, can you tell??)!
I've got your book, Dare to Dream in front of me and on Day 3, I'm already impatient to read it through. :)