“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
— Maya Angelou
Can I tell you a secret?
I’m afraid to share my novels.
So much that I have three novels in the editing stage. But I haven’t submitted any to an editor.
Why?
They’re not perfect. If I share them in their imperfect stage, even to an editor, I’m letting go.
- What if the editor can’t transform my writing? (Because it’s still not good enough, no matter how many times I’ve edited my own manuscripts.)
- What if I haven’t given the editor my best version and it’s so irreparably broken that they can’t even polish it for publishing?
- What if I have to admit that I’ll never be a great writer, only subpar at best? What if the only fans are my family because they love me anyway?
Sound familiar?
So, I understand what it feels like to be scared. So worried you’ll get rejected that you keep your writing hidden on the computer or your notebook.
Maybe you haven’t finished your first draft because every time you want to write the final chapters, you break out in a cold sweat. Feels the same as your fear of heights.
Or like me, you’ve written the rough draft but can’t seem to submit to an editor because they might say it’s so bad that you’ll have to start from scratch?
So, Sarah, how will you overcome your fear of publishing?
- Focus on my love of writing so I’m fueled by positivity.
- Give myself a deadline to submit the WIP (work in progress) to my editor.
- Ask you to serve as my accountability community.
By March 1, 2020, I’m submitting my work to the editor. No matter where I’m at with the work, it’s going into her hands.
Phew! Now that I’ve given myself a deadline, I feel committed and relieved.
How about you?
I challenge you during this Valentine’s month to pursue love by sharing your story.
Image by Виктория Бородинова from Pixabay
It doesn’t have to be a memoir, novel, or how-to book.
- Could be a love letter to a friend, family member, or potential love interest. (I’ll cover elements of writing a love letter on February 25th).
- Could be a weekly, monthly, or quarterly newsletter, or vlog.
- Could be an essay, short story, poem, or devotional entry.
Start somewhere. By taking risk and sharing beyond your comfort zone, you’ll face these fears head on. And you’ll realize it isn’t as daunting as you thought.
Many of your worst fears are a fragment of your imagination and not a reflection of reality.
Want to join me in this writing challenge?
If yes, here are the three steps to follow:
- Decide what you want to share.
- Write down ideas of where you could share.
- Provide a deadline of when you will share.
Tips:
- Take small steps. Don’t have to write a book yet. Write a short story. Poem. Blog post. Post for social media. Devotional entry, for example.
- Share at a small gathering or with a close friend or loved one. Gatherings such as a writer’s critique group, guest post on someone’s blog, poetry reading, casual gathering at your house.
- Give yourself time for living when making the deadline. This is to encourage you, so make your deadline feasible so you feel confident you can meet it. Yet, make it challenging enough that you will put some effort to meet it.
Feel free to share in comments below that you are joining me in this challenge.
Happy Writing!
(Featured Images is Image by Samuel Francis Johnson.)