I read an essay yesterday which started with the author saying he never finished his writing projects for one good reason. He said he knew, if he completed a piece of writing, then he'd have to do something about submitting to an editor. Hey, wait! Isn't that the whole idea. Story inspiration--first draft--edit and revise--submit. That's the process we are told to follow.
Some writers have such a strong fear of failure that they cannot allow themselves to call a piece of writing completed. If they do, the next step is submission, and that step in the process terrifies some writers, while others don't give it any thought at all. They just do it.
What is so terrifying about submitting a story or essay or poem that you wrote? There's the fear of having your submission rejected. Some writers have a hard time accepting criticism which is how they view an editor's rejection. It's not you they are rejecting. Instead, it was what you sent them and for any number of reasons. Maybe they had recently published a similar piece. Maybe you hadn't read the guidelines carefully, and you missed one or two. Maybe there were too many mechanical errors. No matter how good a story is, if it is filled with spelling and punctuation mistakes, typos, and lacks clarity, an editor will reject it. Maybe, the magazine wanted submissions on a certain theme, and yours didn't follow it.
If you can overcome the thought that the editor is criticizing you, then you can learn from the rejections you receive. Look at what was wrong and work at correcting that situation in your next submission.
Some writers feel that submitting what they've written is akin to baring their soul to the world. They are concerned with letting editors and readers see deep inside to who they are. If that's the case, maybe writing is not for you. There are writers who write merely for the pleasure of writing and are happy to keep it for themselves. If that's the case, you're fine. No one ever said you absolutely must submit for publication.
Another kind of writer wants to be published, has the courage to submit his/her work but fears what readers will think if he/she is fortunate enough to get published. Not all readers will love what you write, and that's okay. We are different people with a variety of likes and dislikes. If half your readers like what you write, consider yourself a success.
If you work up the courage to submit a story or personal essay, do it with the attitude that it may or may not be accepted. If it is, do the happy dance. If it isn't, promise yourself you'll learn from the rejection and try again. Do a search for 'writer's rejections' and you'll find myriad articles addressing the topic. Read them, if for no other reason than realizing you have a great deal of company in the rejection field.
If you receive a rejection, don't stop there. Submit somewhere else. Again and again. I have a personal essay that I was pleased with when I finished it. And I still like it even though it's been rejected time and again. I put it away for a while, then try again when I run across a market I think would be a good fit.
Fear of rejection, fear of not being good enough, fear of readers not liking your work--all of those are not unusual. They are common fears of lots of writers. Some writers have those fears only occasionally while others live with the stomach-wrenching fright on a regular basis.
Talking with other writers about their fears and yours can be helpful. You can commiserate with humor, maybe occasional bitterness, but doing so will let you know you're not alone on a mountaintop with no way to get down. Any writer who has a fear of any kind on their writing journey has lots of company.
If you want to be a writer, you'll need to learn to deal with and overcome your fears about this world you've chosen.
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