I'm naturally a reserved, quiet kind of person. For me, this translates into an abundance of fears. Fortunately, I've had many opportunities in my life to face my fears and have conquered many of them. Being an author has helped.
So here are the top 10 fears I've faced in becoming a published author and how facing them has helped me grow.
10. Being afraid that I'd never have the brain power and will to finish a manuscript. (I actually have completed more than one now and that creates a great sense of accomplishment.)
9. Writer's block. (Usually happens when the plot or characters aren't moving the way they want to. After pondering the issue, a solution comes to me. It's an awesome feeling to overcome writer's block.)
8. Handing my writing over to someone else for critiquing. It's like handing over my beating heart to someone with a stern look and a hammer. (Getting good advice from others is actually one of the greatest tools in helping me improve as a writer.)
7. Submitting my beating, hammered heart to potential publishers. (Fortunately they've liked what they've read, and that's a wonderful feeling.)
6. Rejection letters. (They're not the end of the world, though it may seem like it at the time.)
5. All the unknowns about being published. (Everything is unknown until I learn all there is to know about them.)
4. Book signings. (Not so bad, they can even be fun when I look at them as an opportunity to make new friends.)
3. Criticism (Um, yeah. Depends on who is dishing it out, but most of the time, there is something valuable to be learned.)
2. Leaving my comfort zone. (My comfort zone has a much larger circumference now because I've stepped out of it so many times it just grew bigger so it could still enclose me.)
1. What if after all this work and effort, my book bombs? (I hope not! But I do have other exciting things I"m working on.)
Bottom line, facing my fears has helped me grow as a person in ways I never thought possible. Besides, if I hadn't faced any fears in my life, I would probably still be in Kindergarten.
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Writing Tips
Characterization: Characters should be easy to relate to and imperfect. When a reader can relate to or sympathize with the characters in some way, they care what happens to them throughout the story.
Plot: Includes a setting or background, some sort of conflict or problem that needs to be resolved, climax of the story, and then the resolution. Be creative and have fun with it. Sub plots, other issues that are interwoven into the story are also important to expand upon the plot and to help develop the characters as well.
Show vs. Tell: Rather than narrate the story, it's best to show how it happens. For example, rather than saying, "It was a hot day and Brad was sweating." Show instead, how hot it was by saying, "The air rippled above the black pavement, and Brad's shirt clung damp around his waist."
Dialogue: With good dialogue and word choice, you shouldn't need as many adjectives to describe things like your character's emotions. Words used should be natural and more characteristic of true-to-life dialogue. There's no need to have two characters call each other by name the whole time just so the reader knows who is talking. Show vs. tell works really well in dialogue.
Plot: Includes a setting or background, some sort of conflict or problem that needs to be resolved, climax of the story, and then the resolution. Be creative and have fun with it. Sub plots, other issues that are interwoven into the story are also important to expand upon the plot and to help develop the characters as well.
Show vs. Tell: Rather than narrate the story, it's best to show how it happens. For example, rather than saying, "It was a hot day and Brad was sweating." Show instead, how hot it was by saying, "The air rippled above the black pavement, and Brad's shirt clung damp around his waist."
Dialogue: With good dialogue and word choice, you shouldn't need as many adjectives to describe things like your character's emotions. Words used should be natural and more characteristic of true-to-life dialogue. There's no need to have two characters call each other by name the whole time just so the reader knows who is talking. Show vs. tell works really well in dialogue.
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