IWSG Day!!
This month's question is pretty much the whole ball of wax, or in a writer's case, balls of rejected words on paper. So, the question is:
Some common fears writers share are rejection, failure, success, and lack of talent or ability. What are your greatest fears as a writer? How do you manage them?
Rejection is the least of my fears. It used to be the top of the list, but one day, I went to a bookstore to buy a book. As I perused the aisles and shelves, I realized there were thousands of stories to choose from at any one moment. And having limited funds and reading time, I always have to force myself to choose. Do I leave great books on the shelf? Absolutely. I imagine publishers are in the same situation.
Failure is also low on my list. What is failure? Edgar Allen Poe died penniless in a gutter. Was he a failure? Unquestionably, he failed at sobriety and those personal issues pulled from his ability to produce. But would we really call him a failure?
Success. Sounds crazy, but I get this. Take this blog for instance. There was a moment when blog hits started to spike and with that spike came comments from people that I wasn't ready for. There was judgment. Personal judgment. That was disconcerting and I pulled back on the personal sharing on my blog. I'm still working on building a bit thicker skin. And a few people in my hometown commented IRL while I was shopping at Walmart, which was nice, but weird. People were reading my stuff and I' a bubble-loving kind of gal.
Lack of talent. Ding-ding. Winner, winner, chicken dinner. That IS the insecurity. Sure, I love to write, but what if I suck at it and I'm wasting my time and the reader's time?
How do I deal with it? I don't. I enjoy the process of writing enough to not care. I have joked that if the insecurities get to be too much, I'll write in secret and fill a closet with manuscript pages like Emily Dickinson. But I have enough wonderful reader friends who send me notes and remind me they're waiting for the next story and that keeps me publishing publicly. In my mind, I write for them.
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Thanks to this month's awesome co-hosts!
Judgements seems to be a human challenge. Years ago I participated in a meditation class. One of the exercises was to not judge anything as good or bad. Simply accept. It's quite freeing. And that exercise has helped me not react to the judgements of others. Meditation has my source of strength and so much more. I wish you much success, Elizabeth. Blessings
ReplyDeleteIf you only have one real fear, you are doing good.
ReplyDeleteWho cares who judges you? Only God can judge you.
That's the best answer. Just enjoy the process. That makes everything worth it.
ReplyDeleteI feel ya, sister! But people don't become Gold Medal winners the first time they try. It's a growing process for them as it is for us. And while I tend to write genre adjacent, the people my words do connect with usually feel it intensely. Big hugs!
ReplyDeleteLack of talent is one that gets me as well. I wonder if everyone is just being nice to me. Then I remember I have reviews from people who don't know me. Why would they feel like they had to be nice? I must have some bit of talent.
ReplyDeleteAs long as we still have fans wanting more, we keep writing.
ReplyDeleteI'd be very frustrated stuffing my writing in a closet. I need to at least imagine I have an audience. This is why I have trouble to the typical idea of journaling. I can't just write for myself. I enjoy instant gratification, so I blog.
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