Insecure Writers' Support Group (IWSG) is a
really awesome meme that you should be doing along with the rest of us
writers. Unless you truly are happy with your writing and don't feel the
need to vent about your insecurities because they don't exist for you. But, really.... Don't they?
IWSG is hosted by Captain Ninja Alex at his blog, Alex J. Cavanaugh.
IWSG is hosted by Captain Ninja Alex at his blog, Alex J. Cavanaugh.
I keep blogging about IWSG every month without any other content in between! Sorry about that, people. I've been busy writing and doing a million other things to my own bedraggling, lately.
I suppose what comes up for me this month, insecurity-wise,
If anyone has any advice for what I could do to help me feel more confident about proceeding with putting my work out there for all to see, please grace me with your wisdom. Anyone with good experience, maybe a great story to share that will aid me would be greatly appreciated.
Also, if you can relate to me, please let me know that, too! Are you in the same boat as me, working on getting to that published phase, but feeling your feet getting cold as the day looms ever closer?
Aloha Cathy,
ReplyDeleteThe only advice I can offer (as a non-book published writer) is just let your baby learn to walk when it's time.
It may be hard letting go.. but once you get the crits and comments back (which will make the ms better) you will be one step closer to being published... but if you wait six months or a year to show people that obviously puts you back that amount of time...
In any event... GOOD LUCK :)
@Mark: That's good advice. I'll need to let things happen naturally and see if I feel more sure of myself when my novel is in the sort of condition for publication.
DeleteWhen you say, "Put it out there" do you mean "submit it somewhere" or "self publish it"? There's a difference. Submitting takes a lot of courage, but in the end, either it will come back with a printed slip or it will come back with a personal letter. If the latter, you should treasure it, because it means your work is not quite there, but good enough that the publisher is willing to take the time to comment. Either way, just get it sent off again.
ReplyDeleteIf you're talking self publishing, you probably have a built in audience already, even if t's just your blog readers. And they will be kind. I can't guarantee that your reviews will be kind, especially on Goodreads, where I've seen the works of Tolkien receive one-star ratings! ;-) But hey, writers need thick skins.
So good luck and I hope all goes as you wish it.
@Sue: I mean to self-publish, but I think that takes a lot of courage, too, because people will be free to say whatever they want to about it publicly, and I might not like it. That's why I worry about this.
DeleteThanks.
Close your eyes and just jump?
ReplyDeleteJust keep in mind - what's the worst that could happen - and remember that probably won't happen anyway.
@Alex: Ha! I wish I could be so carefree! But, it's just not in my nature to be like that. Still, I will have to take the plunge, eventually, so this is good advice. Thanks.
DeleteIt's not easy to send a work out for anyone to view (critique partners/readers/etc.). I suggest right now to write as if you're the only one who will ever see the draft, do a self-edit as if you're editing it for one particular ideal reader, and then if your heart says it's time for others to look at it, then it is. There will always be doubts, but sharing work is a major part of growing as a writer. Good luck!
ReplyDelete@Cherie: I will likely take this approach. I currently am writing it like I'm the only reader it will ever have, and I'll just have to accept that plenty of people will not like it that way. Oh, well. I will have to learn to live with doubts, as all authors do. Thanks so much!
DeleteHmm, I'm not even close to getting my ms out there. I do have some stories out on submission though, and it's ALWAYS nerve-wracking, no matter how often I do it. Good luck! :)
ReplyDeleteMadeline @ The Shellshank Redemption
@Madeline: Yeah, I can imagine how hard it is to wait around for a publisher to pick up your MS. I would have no fingernails to speak of! I plan on self-publishing, but that comes with it's own insecurities and anxieties, as well. Good luck to you, too!
DeleteWe've spoken about this very thing quite a lot in the past and I'm still looking for the right answer to when I should be putting my stuff out there whether it be to beta readers or to publish. I think for me it just got to a point where I was just moving things around my MS instead of really improving anything. I think you will eventually get to that point too. Once you get enough feedback and do a few drafts of your MS I'm sure you will get to that point too. I think the current camp group we have will be very helpful. The thing that has really pushed me is that I don't want to spend yet another year talking about writing and publishing. I want to actually publish. We will help you get to that point. It's natural to feel a sense of fear when you put your work out there into the world but if your motivation is strong enough even bad reviews won't stop you. Perhaps try and find the one thing that is motivating you most to write and be a published writer and hold on to that when you start to become fearful.
ReplyDelete@Lan: Yeah, we need to be motivated enough to say, "Enough is enough. It's time to publish this thing!" I'm glad we have our writing group to help us out. We have a lot more people to help us through the inevitable bad times and those 1-star reviews we'll be seeing someday. T.T
DeleteI agree with Alex, I take the "close your eyes and jump" approach. When you stop and think about it too much, the idea of putting your work out there can get very intimidating. As I am also going through the process of submitting my first novel, I try to focus on all the reasons I wrote it in the first place. Fear can only delay or prevent our success! :)
ReplyDelete@Christy: Thanks! I need to not get so lost in my head when I think about all the possible bad outcomes. Just need to put it out there and hope for the best, like my more carefree friends.
DeleteHonestly ... it's scary EVERY TIME you put a story out there! The only thing that comforts me when a new book goes live is knowing that other people have read it and liked it before it got there. Of course, then there's the FIRST time you send it to anyone (beta reader, critique parter, whoever) which is somewhat terrifying. But if you love what you've written, then you just have to take the plunge!
ReplyDelete@Rachel: Thank you very much! I will remember this advice when I'm ready to get this MS to critique partners and for publication. I do love what I'm writing, so I'll cling to that. :)
DeleteIf your crit partners think the story is ready, then that's about all you can do. You'll run into plenty of people who won't like your book for no other reason than it doesn't suit their tastes. I'm sure I'll be panicking the first time I publish too.
ReplyDelete@Ken: Good advice! Yeah, books are so subjective because even good ones just don't always suit everyone's personal tastes. Sometimes, readers don't get a hold of the right books for them.
DeletePutting your work out there will always be difficult. I guess the best thing you can do is get feedback from beta readers and trust your CPs. And if you love what you're writing, definitely hold onto that. There's nothing worse than falling out of love with your book. Keep writing and don't worry about the blogging! :)
ReplyDelete@Elise: Thank you very much! Thankfully, I do love what I'm writing, so I don't have that terrible situation of not liking it anymore.
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