by Edie Melson @EdieMelson
Fall is upon us and with it come black cats and trick or treaters. Some cute and some . . . well . . . not so much. In this season of black and orange, I thought I'd highlight some fears all writers face and how to overcome them.
At a recent writing conference, I was talking to a friend of mine and this person confided she was afraid she just didn’t have what it took to be a writer.
“I’m just not good enough to get a book published, and I don’t know if I ever will be.”
“Welcome to the club,” I told her.
My answer wasn’t what she expected. She had forgotten something we had heard together at a conference many years ago. We’d been listening to an established author talk about his own fear and inadequacies. He told the audience that every time he sits down to write a new book, the fears resurface and he’s certain he no longer has what it takes to make it in publishing.
Hearing him confess his own fears gave me hope. Beyond that, it brought home an important fact. Being published—no matter if it’s a single book or a hundred—won’t necessarily make the fear disappear.
So what’s a writer to do?
10 Things for a Writer to do to Combat Fear
1. Pray First. Yep, EVERY SINGLE TIME. I've learned—the hard way—that before my fingers hit the keyboard, I pray. I don't care if I'm writing a blog post, working on a book, or scheduling social media. God has a purpose for every single keystroke. And I for one, want to make sure I'm focused on His purpose instead of mine.
2. Write Regularly. For some of us that means daily. For others it means on the weekend, or three days a week. The truth is, mood is a fickle mistress and time is NEVER lying around waiting to be found!
3. Choose to Ignore the Negative Voices in Your Head. We all have them—those irritating whispers that tell us we’re not good enough, and we’re selfish to even try to follow our dreams. We can write anyway, or we can cave in to our insecurities. Published writers keep writing, no matter what those voices say.
4. Write Outside Your Comfort Zone. The publishing industry is in a constant state of change. What you write today, may not be popular five years from now. As a writer, you’ll have to constantly be changing and growing. Get used to it now and avoid the deer-in-the-headlights reaction when change comes your way.
5. Find a Writing Community. This is a tough enough business without trying to fly solo. We all need fellow writers who understand what we’re doing. These fellow travelers will keep us accountable and encourage us when we think we can’t go any further.
6. Write When You Don’t Have the Time. So often I hear people who want to be published talk about how they’ll start when they find the time. The truth is that time is NEVER lying around waiting to be found. Following our dreams takes sacrifice. We must be willing to make the hard choices and carve out time to write.
7. Stay Active in the Industry. Join writing groups—locally and online. Give back to the writing community at large by volunteering to help others. Trust me when I tell you that no matter where you are in your writing journey, there are those less experienced. And by staying active, it’s harder to quit. The times I’ve wanted to throw in the towel it was having to answer to others that kept me going.
8. Write When You’re NOT Inspired. We cannot wait for the mood strike to write. Inspiration is a fickle mistress. If we’re serious about pursuing publishing dreams, we must move beyond depending on our mood to be able to write.
9. Remind Yourself Why You Write. For me, written words are the way I process life. I don’t talk things out, I write things out. God designed me to be like this. Writing is His gift to me. I have those words taped above my desk so I’ll never forget.
10. Write Through the Fear. Being a published writer goes hand in hand with fear. We’re afraid we won’t be good enough to be published, then that no one will read the book, and finally that we won’t be able to write another book.
These are my tips to help me face my writing fears. What would you add to the list? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Don’t forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie
TWEETABLE
Thanks, Edie, for a very timely and helpful post. When we're holed up in our little writing caves, it's easy to forget we aren't the only ones paralyzed by fear. Even after 40+ books and 200+ articles, I frequently feel the way you aptly described it in tip #10. It seems that we never "arrive" but trudging onward through doubts and fears is the key. After my previous series was concluded, my traditional publisher of ten years (most of the 40 books) seemed to lose interest in me, although more than 2 million copies had sold. I floundered around for three years, feeling washed up and afraid to try again after they rejected my last batch of book ideas. Then when I couldn't ignore Papa God's elbow jabbing my side, my agent pitched my ideas to other publishers and we ended up in a bidding war. Somebody wanted me after all! So keep on trudging, writer friends. You never know what's around the corner.
ReplyDeleteOops, sorry ... didn't mean to be Anonymous (above); I'm Debora Coty, author of the Too Blessed to be Stressed series and a brand new series coming out in 2025. I love your blog - never miss it. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteSo timely for me, Edie. You hit 6 of my current battles. Thank you!
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