by Edie Melson @EdieMelson
I know there are a lot of things writers are afraid of. The trick is not to let those fears keep us from writing. The list of things I'm afraid of—in regards to writing—is long and some of the things there are ridiculous. But I learned a long time ago, we are all afraid of silly things. So, since the scariest season is at hand, I'm going to try to give you a different way of looking at some of the most common fears.
Writing Fears Turned Upside Down
1. Fear of Having our Writing Rejected. I had to face this one first, when I was freelancing and sending out articles. I dreaded going to the mailbox and seeing the SASE (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope) Yes, I know I'm old and now it's an email, but the fear is the same.
My Upside Down: Instead of letting each rejection make me more insecure I turned this fear upside down. I discovered that sending out submissions is a lot like making sales calls. You have to send out so many to get a yes. When I began writing, I found out that if I sent out ten submissions, I was almost guaranteed that at least 1 - 2 of them would say yes. So each rejection was just one more number on the way to a yes!
When I began sending out book proposals, the mindset was a little different. There wasn't a magic number (like 10) that guaranteed me acceptance. Instead, I prayed over each submission and asked God to make sure the yes came from the company He chose. So each no meant God had a better plan for my book. It was my job to remain obedient, patient, and faithful.
2. Fear of Writing a Proposal. This one maybe more of a dread or intense dislike. But I know it's something we all have to do eventually—if our plan is to write a book. At first it was hard for me to find anything good about this difficult process. UNTIL I discovered every successful author I talked to said the same thing, "I HATE writing proposal!"
My Upside Down: So I took my intense dislike and fear of writing a proposal as confirmation that I truly am a real writer!
3. Fear of Submission. This could be any kind of public submission of your writing, from a proposal, article, even submitting for a critique. And I truly dreaded this because I desperately wanted to be good enough as a writer to succeed.
My Upside Down: My upside down for this one began with Scripture, Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7 NIV). As writers, we’re constantly being called to submit, even if we don’t realize it. Of course there’s the obvious connection, when we submit our writing for possible publication. But there are other ways as well.
- We submit to God’s call when we put our words in tangible form—either handwritten or in a digital document.
- We submit to others when we share our words for critique.
- We submit when we invest our time and energy in organizations, classes, and conferences.
4. Fear of Choosing. This one crops up as we're faced with multiple opportunities. It could be as simple as which publisher to send our work to or trying decide between multiple requests from a writing conference. My fear behind choosing was the fear of choosing wrong. The question that haunted my mind was this, "What if I choose something other than God's best?"
My Upside Down: Again, the answer to this fear came from God's word. Specifically Acts 16:6 - 10. In this section Paul sets out, after prayer, to head to Asia to share the good news. We see in this section how the Holy Spirit turns Paul and keeps him from going there. Instead Paul ends up in Europe. So how does this help us as writers?
- First, when we submit to God (see #3 above) we can trust God to keep us on track—even if God has to turn us around.
- Next, God is able to get my attention and keep me from messing up. God isn't some vicious entity, sitting on His throne in Heaven and waiting to laugh at us when we get it wrong. NO. God is our loving Father who desires to see us follow the path He has for us.
- Finally, God isn't keeping score. He doesn't get mad and punish us if we get it wrong. Nowhere in this passage do we see how God is disappointed in Paul, or ashamed Paul didn't get it right. Nope, God just works things out so Paul goes exactly where God intended.
5. Fear of Missing My Chance. Let's face it, life happens. Sometimes there are circumstances in our lives that postpone our call to write for days or even years. When that happens, we can begin to give up and assume we missed our chance and God is done with us.
My Upside Down: I've had lots of detours throughout my writing journey. Often I assume because I "missed" the timing, my opportunity was gone. Experience has taught me that is a lie. All those detours? They have worked together to put me in the exact right place, at the exact right time. Again, I find my confirmation in God's Word, For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. (Romans 11:29 ESV) God will never abandon us and He is always waiting for us to return.
These are some of my top fears and how I've turned them into faith and confirmation. I have 2 questions for you (feel free to answer one or both):
- How do you deal with your writing fears?
- What writing fears can we help you put into perspective?
Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section below and don't forget to join the conversation!
Thank you for this post today, Edie. I almost skipped over it, but I'm glad I didn't. I loved all your "Upside Downs" -- and #5 was especially applicable right now.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Edie. This was perfect timing for me!
ReplyDeleteHi Edie, this is so spot on for me right now. Thanks for reminding me that the process can also have detours like any well traveled road.
ReplyDeleteLove you,
Laurie