7 Common Fears and Advice for Writers


Digging this one up from the archives, because good advice never goes out of style! And neither do writers' fears. 


Hats off again to Sylvia for her words of wisdom.


The talented Sylvia Ney over at Writing in Wonderland is taking over the blog today to share her insights on common writing fears and how to overcome them. Take it away, Sylvia!

Writers often express common fears when talking with agents, editors, and other authors. The advice I offer below is based in part on my own experience and in part on interviews I have completed with agents and editors.

Rejection and Inadequacy - This is the most common fear because it’s the hardest to let go. You question if your work is worthy of publication. You feel it as a first timer wondering if you’ll ever find someone to like your finished product. And this feeling will still sneak up on you as a multi published author worrying if the next creation will be as successful. Rejection happens. You can’t please everyone all the time. Shelves are lined with the books of famous authors who suffered repeated rejection. The key is, they never gave up. They continued improving and searching for the right market. You can too.

Success - Many people are afraid of success. They believe too much will be expected of them and the thought of everything becoming too big to handle is enough to paralyze them into doing nothing. The trick is to deal with the situation one step at a time. Worry about success when you get there.

Revealing Too Much - There are times writers expose so much of their soul, inner demons, dreams, hopes, and beliefs that a project can become very journal like. You begin to fear you are revealing too much of yourself. Maybe family and friends who read the book will see right through the characters, and to the true depiction of yourself (or worse yet, one of them). Relax. Every great writer draws from experience, as well as the heart. The relationship you have to the story is what makes it memorable. It’s what will hook and never release a reader. And the truth is, someone will see themselves in your story whether that was your intention or not. That means you’ve been successful at capturing human experience.

You’re Too Old - You’re never too old. I know a thirteen year old who has just published her first book, but it’s nowhere as moving as the first book my friend published in her seventies. With age comes experience. Experience adds depth and maturity to your writing. A novel requires patience - something young authors often lack.

Too Much Research - Details are important in a novel. You have to know the period in which the story is set, details of characters’ occupations, nuances of different cultures, etc. Enjoy the research. Learn about your characters and the world they live in. Try writing articles, blogs, or ebooks based on the new things you are learning (these can prove to an agent or editor that you are highly qualified to write on your topic – even if the book is fiction). Don’t consider learning a job. It can be a fun hobby as well as a lucrative side project.

Technology - If you’re only comfortable using a word document, and have yet to learn anything else about your computer, the thought of mastering the technology involved in submitting and publishing might be intimidating. The great news is that it’s all relatively simple to learn and use. You can take the time to learn to do it yourself, or there are many others you can hire to help with everything from formatting, to cover design, to marketing. Shop around and ask for recommendations.

Marketing - Some people are natural marketers: confident, charismatic, and with an instinctive grasp of what benefits will entice their audience. Others find marketing uncomfortable at first. Marketing may not come naturally to you, but you’re perfectly capable of it. You are simply letting people know what you can do for them. Focus on your audience in your marketing. Instead of trying to write about how great your work is, write about how it can help them. Start an email list, create social media accounts (facebook, twitter, pinterest, etc.), use your own blog, guest post on other sites.

If one of these fears has been holding you back, decide today how you’re going to move forward. If you want to ask specific questions, I encourage you to leave a comment below or read Jane Friedman, Rachelle Gardner, Noah Lukeman, and Chuck Sambuchino. Other agents are helpful as well, but these four have FREE information available on their websites/blogs.

Awesome advice, Sylvia! I know from experience those four names you suggest are fantastic resources for writers. So go ahead, guys, check it out and vanquish those pesky fears and doubts!

25 comments:

  1. Yeah I hire people for the cover and other parts I know I can't do well. I'm a writer at heart and while I could don't want to learn every piece of the puzzle to do it alone. Max respect to those who do though. Thanks for sharing all this great advice Sylvia.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm enthused by the point about not being too old. I know I'm not old really, but still feel like I've come to the writing game late.
    Great points for encouraging writers.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sylvia rocks!
    I'm probably guilty of fear of success. Right now research is my biggest concern.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nicole - Thanks for having me. I'm so glad you suggested this topic!

    And thanks to everyone else for taking the time to read and comment.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for the great advice Sylvia! Interesting point about writing from a thirteen year old's, and seventy year old's perspective. "Experience and patience" are key. There's hope for me yet!

    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  6. You're pretty much spot on here. Although I will say that you can't be too young either. I've noticed a massive improvement in my writing skills in just the last two years. Granted, by the time I'm seventy I'm sure I'll be a lot better...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Excellent list. And, yes, I have probably experienced each of these at some point.

    ReplyDelete
  8. One of my favorite things about writing a new novel is the research! With two young kids, it's the closest I'm going to get to exploring the world for a while. :) Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I like what you said about experience. Some novels have layers, and some skim along the surface. Inadequacy is one that usually follows rejection.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love seeing all these comments, guys! I know some of these pesky fears crop up at the back of my mind too. Thankfully, we all have Sylvia's wise advice to move us forward! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  11. It was the strangest thing when I realized I was afraid of success just as much as I was afraid of rejection. Kinda silly how that works, huh? I definitely related to all of this! What a wonderful post! Thanks Sylvia and Nicole!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm definitely guilty of the first three. While all of these fears, or doubts, creep up from time to time the first three have been the ones I struggle with the most. Luckily, I've had a great support group in my family, friends, readers, and the blogging community. Thank you all for the continued comments and encouragement!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sylvia is spot on! Why do we write books for people to read and then get tied up in knots when people READ them? I guess we're all a little crazy like that. Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is one of the bestest blog posts EvAHHHH. So true in all respects. Posting to FB.

    ReplyDelete
  15. This is really great information and advice! Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  16. This was a fantastic post! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Emily - Your question totally nails the perspective shift we need. :) Thanks for the reminder.

    Huntress - We aim to please. Hats off to Sylvia!

    Kimberly - Happy to pass it along.

    Shelly - Thanks!

    Kelley - Yup, I think it's something we all need to hear a little more often. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Fantastic post! I used to be horribly afraid of rejection and it held me back for years. Thankfully I kept writing and grew old, I mean, grew thicker skin. ;) Thanks for sharing your advice.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm so glad this post has been a helpful reminder to keep working through the fear. HAPPY WRITING!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow, this post is amazing. It is a great source for writers, for me. I'm definitely adding it to my favorites. :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. So true. I think all the fears she mentioned are relevant to all writers at some time or another. Only one thing to do. Keep going despite them. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Fantastic advice! And those fears crop up at one time or another, but it's key to remember that the writers we love never gave up.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Excellent advice. Must keep these in the forefront of my mind! You are one smart cookie. :-)

    ReplyDelete