Keeping true to the Insecure Writers Support Group theme, which was started by the fabulous blogger and writer, Alex J. Cavanaugh, I am actually writing about a real fear today.
I have been thinking for a while now about how we writers put a lot of love, effort and dedication into our stories, whether it is novels, novellas or even short stories. With every piece we write, we share a part of us, or at least with me that is what happens.
I have had this terrifying haunting feeling that…what if nobody, aside for my critique partners, ever reads any of my stories? What if nobody ever wants to publish them? What if I never find a literary agent who believes in me and my writing enough, to represent me? What if I only ever end up writing for myself?
When I started I was more than happy to write for myself, but now that I have actually finished a book and created these amazing characters, call me naïve, but I really wish to share them with the whole world by getting them published. So what if I believe so much in myself and my book and then…my dream never comes true? What if I have just been kidding myself all along?
Fear of these things I think is natural. I know I feel them. The trick is to ignore the fear and keep pushing forward. Have belief in yourself, work hard on your craft and you can do it!
ReplyDeleteWhat Rebecca said. Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteIf you believe in yourself, then someone else will too. It will happen!
ReplyDeleteIf we don't keep trying we will only be guessing. I don't want to guess. I want to know.
ReplyDeleteHow about you?
You've tapped directly into my mind, into my greatest fear. I think if I can't find an agent with my first novel, I will try with the second. I can't say what I'll feel like then, but right now, I'm not willing to give up trying, even though it doesn't look as rosy as I'd like.
ReplyDeleteIn the mean time, I've pushed the thought of self-pubbing out of my mind and will focus on querying directly to a small press if I can't find an agent.
But either way, I'm not giving up.
Just keep writing. If you are persistent, folks will eventually notice you're there.
ReplyDeleteI've seen a few posts lately where writers put a lot of effort into their novels, and sent them out in the querying process, only to get rebuffed. Unwilling to give up entirely, they let the novel rest a while (a year, in one author's case), and then tried again. This time they got taken on.
ReplyDeleteIt can happen to you too. Keep believing in yourself.
I've read that it's realistic that it could take 8 or more years to get your first novel published the traditional route. And I would guess it takes a long while to get a following if you publish on your own. So keep writing and keep submitting. Write your next novel and several more. When you find the publisher or the following, you'll have a whole stack of amazing stories to share all at once. That's my plan anyway. I bet if we keep at it we will both be very successful by 2020 if not sooner. :)
ReplyDeleteRebecca - Thank you!
ReplyDeleteMaggieblackbird - Thanks!
Annalisa - Thank you so very much for the kind words.
Heather - I want to know too, thanks.
Nancy - I agree with you, we do think alike. I am not giving up either, its just sometimes I can drive myself crazy with these stuff.
M Pax - Thank you so much for the encouragement.
CD Meetens - Thank you. I must definitely try that.
Tonja - That is a very great plan. Thank you for sharing and here is to us and 2020! We can do it, seriously.
You can't control anyone else. You can't make anyone read anything. All you can control is what YOU do, what YOU feel and think and work on. Worrying about whether anyone else reads your work is wasted energy because you can't make them. All you can do is what's in your control – make you're writing so compelling that other people will want to read it. At the end of the day, you'll have done your job, so focus on that.
ReplyDeleteSo far, I know that four people have bought a copy of my book, based on the data I was about to scrounge up. And I bet I can put names to each sale. Writing what is in your heart is all that matters, not the audience that receives it. If no one else reads it, well, I wrote it down and there it is! If someone enjoys it, even better, but that's not what I wrote it for.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, you have a huge fan base Murees! So keep writing, because your life will one day be the "Daily drama of a writer," which is, if you can believe, way more dramatic. Not always in a good way :)
These fears are normal and unfortunately it doesn't go away even after you're published. As long as you believe in yourself, I believe you will find that special home for your story.
ReplyDeleteJohn - Valid point, thank you.
ReplyDeleteRenee - Thank you so much Renee. I really am grateful for the kind fords.
Donna - Thank you, that is awesome advice.