It's the first Wednesday of the month and that means it's Insecure Writers Support Group time. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex
J. Cavanaugh Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. And thanks
to this month's awesome hosts Charity Bradford, S.A. Larsen, AJ, Tamara Narayan, Allison Gammons, and Tanya Miranda!
I wish I had advice to give those struggling with insecurities.
We all have them. It’s part of our makeup as writers. To be a good writer, we
have to be sensitive. Not just feel emotions, we have to be able to write so
well that we elicit emotions in our readers.
That’s a tough job.
So being sensitive people, we are easily hurt when someone
says our “baby is ugly”—aka, rejection. Not just formal rejections from an
editor or agent, but by critique partners when they point out what isn’t
working in the story. Or a family member who thinks we just sit around all day
and drink coffee. (Okay, we do a lot of that, too.) Nobody but another writer
knows how hard it is to put words on a page (or screen) in a cohesive way that
forms a story. When we don’t receive positive support, we hurt.
We read how we need to toughen up, develop a thick skin.
Yeah, right. We throw our heart and soul into our work, an editor loves it
enough to give it life, and a reviewer thinks it stinks. Ouch. How do we deal
with that? Not read reviews? Then we might miss those 5-star reviews that make
our day and give us that proverbial pat on the back we need.
Working in solitude, we often feel alone. In online writer groups
like this or groups that meet in person, our peers bolster us and help us
deal with insecurity. Hurray for the Insecure Writers Support Group where we
can let our insecurities hang out and know that someone (many someones) will
offer words of comfort and encouragement.
As a reminder, here's the purpose of IWSG: To share and encourage.
Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing
foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer
assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all
kinds!
Happy Writing and don't let insecurity get you down.
Click here to
find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s
blogging today.
