Finishing a Draft Matters More Than Loving It
Writers are among the most anxious people you’ll ever meet. Many have dreams of fame and fortune or simply seeing their name in print, but something always gets in the way. What’s that “something”? Fear.
Over the years, I have met numerous writers. They tend to fall into one of two groups: Those who are actively pursuing their dreams of a writing career no matter the difficulties and those who are so fearful of trying they never attempt to make a sale.
So what is stopping the latter group? One or more of the following:
Fear of rejection by agents and publishers
Fear of readers’ negative reviews
Other people have convinced them writing is not a real profession
Imposter syndrome is very real. Writer’s Digest defines it as the persistent feeling that you’re not as competent or talented as others think you are — despite evidence to the contrary. The magazine says it’s commonly found among authors because writing is a personal experience. The signs of imposter syndrome are doubting your own talent, talking yourself out of opportunities, feeling everyone else knows something you don’t, and believing success is based on luck.
“Unpublished and self-published authors can be particularly susceptible to the effects of impostor syndrome,” Writer’s Edit, a writing blog, says. “Without a traditional publishing team to back them up, as-yet-unpublished and independent authors can feel like their work hasn’t really been validated, and is therefore undeserving of being put out into the world.”
SelfPublishing.com suggests authors push aside generalizations and stereotypes about authors, ignore critics, lean into supporters and believe in themselves. The site also reminds authors that success is partially circumstance and partially hard work.
My Experience
I have been writing fiction since I was in fourth grade. I had dreams of winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. But when I was in my mid-20s, disillusioned with the entire publishing industry, I stopped writing for more than a decade. eBooks didn’t exist yet. Neither did Amazon KDP and other self-publishing platform, so my only option was the tradition publishing route. I didn’t like waiting six months only to get a rejection form letter from an agent. I didn’t want to change my work to please a publisher’s vision. I had no desire to write short stories to build my reputation, as was the advice at the time, when I was brimming with ideas for longer works.
Other people’s comments throughout the years also had an impact. Well-meaning relatives told me I best chose a career that actually pays. My grandfather wanted me to be a doctor despite my fear of germs and my disgust of the traditional educational system. Eventually, I left writing behind because I had bills to pay and I wanted to be a self sufficient adult, something I couldn’t be as a freelance writer.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stay away from writing. I began freelance writing in 2011 once technology made a freelance career more viable. It gave me the opportunity to learn about business ownership in addition to the brave new world of online publishing and the changing world of traditional publishing. Then, I began to write fiction again in my spare time. It had been years since I had written anything creative and I wasn’t sure what the end result would be, but since it was my first original idea in a decade or more, I figured it was worth doing.
My novel stayed on the backburner for years. Had I not made it a priority, it would still be there. I worked on the novel for eight years, and lived in my characters’ world sometimes more than my own. The end result was Angel of Mercy, my first published novel, in 2019.
Publishing One “Imperfect” Book Beats 10 Unfinished Ones
What can you learn from my experience?
Finish your rough draft. It’ll be terrible, but that’s normal. You’ll polish it in subsequent drafts.
If you really want to be an author, you’ll work toward your goal.
There’s no such thing as the perfect book. Write the best book you can and move onto the next one. You’ll become a more skilled writer with each novel.
As the subhead says, publishing one “imperfect” book beats 10 unfinished ones. Why? Because finishing beats out fear any day.