Here it is! The first Wednesday in May!
Callooh callay oh frabjous day!
It is the monthly meeting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Purpose: 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!
The co-hosts for the May 7 posting of the IWSG are Feather Stone, Janet Alcorn, Rebecca Douglass, Jemima Pett, and Pat Garcia!
May 7 question - Some common fears writers share are rejection, failure, success, and lack of talent or ability. What are your greatest fears as a writer? How do you manage them?
I've experienced rejection, failure, and success. I don't really believe in talent and my ability increases the more I exercise it. I've survived the first three so I know I can again. Rejection is an important hurdle. It makes me stronger and I have (mostly) overcome believing it is personal. Failure means that I tried. Success is something I do not take anyone else's measure of it. In Buddhist teachings they talk of the Eight Worldly Concerns. They are a group of things we get preoccupied by that lead to suffering. They are: gain, loss, fame, disgrace, praise, blame, pleasure and pain. So hankering after success is a preoccupation I try (not always with great facility unfortunately) to avoid.
No, my greatest fear is being irrelevant with my writing. If I start pandering to imaginary readers or playing it safe I will feel terrible. It's too hard to write to waste my time. And I'm not talking about genres or literary fiction or so-called important writing. If I help someone escape for a few hours or amuse them, that's fine. But to write things I don't care about. Ugh. I think it is as hard work to write material that is of no meaning to the writer as to write the most complex and well-crafted piece precisely because your passion cannot carry you through the difficult time that absolutely will happen at some point in the writing.
What are your greatest fears fellow writers?
7 comments:
You have such a great perspective on rejection, success, and failure. Someone else mentioned worrying about their writing not being relevant too.
Thanks Natalie! I definitely fall prey to envy and despair and have to practice equanimity rigorously!!
I think you have a great perspective on our standard fears! I worry some about whether people will like my work, but mostly I worry about not being good enough. My antidote to that is that I'm always working to hone my craft. Well, except when I'm off hiking :D
I don't worry about my writing, as I consider myself primarily a reader who happens to enjoy writing but isn't really a storyteller. My writing is plain and not crafty/skilled at all, and if I compare myself to writers who do it beautifully -- who write amazing descriptive prose and know how to structure a story -- I will despair! So I've setted happily for being a reader and never challenged myself much in the writing department. But I truly admire and appreciate those who do and love to observe that process whenever writers share it.
You are the second person to mention being irrelevant. The other person posted a quote about irrelevant being a thing of youth, so I think you are safe!
That painting is gorgeous. I agree there is no point in writing unless you like (or believe in) what you are writing. I say that and then think of how many work letters, memos, newsletters I wrote and how the act of writing them well made me feel good even if I didn't like the topic. That was work though. There was a pay check involved. In my personal writing, I can't imagine writing for relevance rather than writing with passion. I hope you are doing OK dear Jan. I know this year has been such a struggle. I am thinking of you. How blessed you are to have had such dear friends.
hi Liza, Jan here though not accepting me on my own site - oh dear. I count YOU as a dear friend! And friends have been the difference between completely collapsing and carrying on. Love to you.
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