Category: fear of rejection

Our Worst Critics

There’s that critic. Always watching

The Critic in the Mirror

I know that guy. He’s the one telling me that my writing is no good, I’m wasting time and resources, and I have nothing new to say. There’s a ring of truth to that.

Especially the part about nothing new to say. How many romances can be written, how many westerns, how many mysteries? You get the idea.

So why are thousands of books published each year?

We each have a voice, we are unique. We do the same things differently and we have a story.
Take bicycle riding for instance. I recently read a moving story where bike riding was a central theme. The tale wasn’t about a bike, but couldn’t have happened the way it did without one. No bike, no story.

Another bike rider, my son Charlie, got his pants leg caught in the chain, hit a rock, and catapulted into a sticker patch. According to his mother, the story is about mending scrapes, pulling out stickers, and sewing pants. But again, no bike, no story.

So, are these stories worth writing? Absolutely.

What’s stopping us?

I think it all comes down to fear. Fear of rejection, of course, fear of being the object of ridicule, and lots of our own particular reasons.
However, fear can be overcome by gaining information and confidence.

Let the reader decide.

We don’t know what readers will like or dislike. Believe me, we’ll find both kinds for anything we write.

We need to gain information from writing courses, critique groups, and blogs from authors who graciously share their knowledge.
Here’s just one to get us started from K.M. Weiland.

Only one person is stopping us.

Yep. As Pogo Possum said, “We have met the enemy and they are us.”

Your voice is different even for a similar story. Only you can tell it. Do it.

What’s your hangup and how do you overcome it? Leave a comment.

Writing Fiction is published on Wednesdays.

Thank a veteran.