Scared, me?

Posted by on
This week on WordWranglers, we're talking about fear.

I have a lot of fears. Snakes. Heights. Deep water.

But the biggest one has to be of failure.

What if I never sell? What if I never hit the right ed at the right time?

I have to admit, at this stage, that I've worried about it more than not. It's been a long haul for me. SO many rejections. SO many nos. SO many just-this-close-but-no-cigars.

What if it never happens, what if I never get the call?

I have tried so hard for so long. But I always seem to be just short. We just bought that. You're heroine has the wrong name (seriously). We aren't buying cowboys anymore.

Failing now, after all this time, scares me more than snakes~~~~~~~~and that's a lot.

Comments

  1. carrieOctober 5, 2010 at 2:09 PM

    snakes. grasshoppers. crickets. daddy long legs. the wandering sasquatch in the woods. (hey, it could happen!)
    i agree about the rejection, it puts a little hole in your skin every time....ouch.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Christi BarthOctober 5, 2010 at 2:30 PM

    I'm going to use this opportunity to urge you to try the world of small/epublishers - a great stepping stone to getting out of the rejection rut!

    ReplyDelete
  3. KristiOctober 5, 2010 at 3:59 PM

    Okay, I'm a little philosophical today, so I'm gonna quote Churchill -- we have nothing to fear but fear itself. So keep writing, keep pushing yourself to be better and keep putting everything out there. Because to have the chance you have to put it out there, right?

    ReplyDelete
  4. shawnOctober 5, 2010 at 4:12 PM

    I have a paralyzing fear of rodents. Sorry Mickey and
    Minnie Mouse, but to me you're just vermin. I also have
    a fear of the closet monster, and my husband thinks this
    is hilarious. As far as writing goes, I am also afraid I'll
    never make it, but I don't have that fear about you, D'Ann.
    I've read some of your stuff, and when all is said and done,
    I can't see you NOT making it big. So it may take a while.
    Anything worth having usually does.

    ReplyDelete
  5. SaraOctober 5, 2010 at 7:25 PM

    I'm afraid of dogs, particularly big ones. And I have a special fear of Golden Retrievers. I start hyperventilating every time one comes near me, which makes my husband just shake his head and laugh at me. But I can't help it. I know not all dogs bite, in fact, I know most don't. BUT I've been bitten four times by so called "friendly dogs"...Sorry all of you dog owners out there, but I just don't like dogs.

    Don't give up, D'Ann...You'll get there.

    ReplyDelete
  6. KelseyOctober 5, 2010 at 7:48 PM

    D'Ann -

    I still have a fear of the monster under the bed or in the closet :). And a lot of times, I think that's what we fear when we stop submitting--what if there really is a boogie-editor who's just going to say no again? The thing is, we just have to keeping throwing open the door or we're going to be horribly unhappy.

    I believe the call is coming for you, right around the corner.

    K-

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownOctober 5, 2010 at 8:29 PM

    I have a ledge. I used to get scared all the time. The form rejections, some mixed contest results. I have some agent cyber buddies I chat with. Ones that do not rep my genre so they feel good about chatting with me, it's not some big suck up. They've helped me immensely.

    I am in re-writes right now and I feel great about my work. I'm not scared anymore. Well, today anyway!

    ReplyDelete
  8. jennifertannerOctober 5, 2010 at 9:15 PM

    Snakes. Heights. Multi-deck parking garages in earthquake prone areas. Tight, closed spaces.

    Keep at it. You NEVER know what's around the corner.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Liz FlahertyOctober 5, 2010 at 9:29 PM

    Water. Not being able to breathe. Giving up. Spiders. Snakes.

    You'll make it D'Ann.

    ReplyDelete
  10. D'AnnOctober 5, 2010 at 10:17 PM

    Thanks, friends.
    CharliMac, thanks for coming by.
    I think we're all afraid of failure.

    ReplyDelete
  11. AvrilOctober 6, 2010 at 7:51 AM

    Fear. I'm not sure that word is in my vocabulary. It hinders, and anything standing in the way of ME has to go. It can also be a strong motivator, If you allow it to be.

    Fear is never a part of the equation in my writing journey...only hope, anticipation, and joy, because I write for me. Everything else is secondary.

    You're an amazing writer, so I'm not worried for you. Your time will come and I'll be there to say I knew you when :-)

    Side note, animals--all of them--are not my friends. I'm not afraid of them, I just don't want to be near them.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment