Are You A Worrier?

 Writers never worry. Right? No, that's all wrong. Writers do worry. A lot! 

What do they worry about? Look at this list and you'll probably be nodding your head if some of them hit home. 

We worry that: 

• we will never be a published author
• we cannot measure up to professionals
• we aren't up to writing with proper mechanics
• other writers far surpass our abilities
• we aren't growing as a writer
• we don't get enough emotion in what we write
• we don't hook our readers immediately
• we aren't able to write a full novel
• we don't have enough time to write as much as we'd like to
• our vocabulary is not up to that of other writers
• editors will hate our submissions
• we aren't very good at revising and editing our first drafts

The list could go on and on but you get the idea. All those worries are definitely a waste of time. Writers have a lot of doubt and insecurity, especially in the beginning stage of the writing journey. Even those who have published a lot have some of the same doubts. You can probably add to this list with other parts of the writing life that you worry about.

I love this quote. It is so true. Worry gets us nowhere fast. It is a total waste of time. Instead of worrying, we need to step back and take a long, hard look at all the problems in the list above. Tackle them one at a time. Don't attempt to do it all at once. If you do, you will do more than worry. You might have a total meltdown. In all of our writing life, we need to tackle problems a little here, a little there. We can't climb Mt Everest in one day and we can't solve all these problems in one day either.

Push the worry bird out the door and keep moving on your writing path. Continue working on the positive things you've done and tackle those 'worrisome' things one at a time.

Worry Is The Enemy

More writers might be classified as worriers than those brimming with self-confidence and 110% positive thinking. Painters, sculptors, musicians and anyone in the creative arts would probably nod in agreement to being a person who worries. It's one reason I write so many posts that I hope will give some encouragement and hope to writers.

It appears to be human nature to worry or to have self-doubts. Am I good enough to win this literary contest? Can I write well enough to get published? Is my poetry of a caliber for readers to praise? Can I write as well as the successful authors? How many rejections will I get this month? Am I ever going to make any money as a writer? On and on it goes. I know because there are times I've been there myself.

Today's poster is full of wisdom. It might be a good one to enlarge and print, then keep it in your writing place. Why waste time worrying when you could be writing? The worry doesn't change a thing but your writing can change your life a lot. 

The more you write, the better writer you will become. The better writer you become, the greater chance you have of being published. When you're published, you have credits that editors like to see. Those credits push you up a few notches when an editor considers your submission.I know what you';re thinking--editors should take each submission as a stand-alone; they shouldn't judge on previous publication history. I agree but many editors do let your writing history come into their decision and there's not much you, the writer, can do about it. 

There are some publications that look for submissions from new, or beginning, writers. They're willing and eager to give newbies a chance. If you don't have a publication history, seek them out when you do a market search. But submit to the others, too. Submit often. You cannot become published if you do not send your work to an editor or publishing house.

Stop worrying and keep writing and submitting your finished work. No matter how many rejections you receive! Think of worry as the enemy and writing as your friend. Avoid the worry and embrace the writing.