How to Use Insecurity to Improve your Writing Productivity.

Adapt to the uncertain world of the writerPhoto by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

Erica Jon declared, “I went for years not finishing anything. Because, of course, when you finish something you can be judged.” She summed up the dilemma of insecure writers who want to earn a living.

Usually, insecurity conjures up very negative images of people. Unfortunately, folks who suffer from it have frail egos and need lots of reassurance. Treatment through excellent therapy is often successful, but it is risky for insecure people to become writers. Writing, I dare say, demands tough skin.

We expect professionals to exude confidence. Insecurity in a brain surgeon or criminal lawyer could be the end of their career. Insecure writers are different. Their insecurity is an occupational disorder. It attacks the best-seller author and the newbie. It can strike during any part of the writing process. Sometimes, when we feel bereft of words as in writer’s block, it is paralyzing. There is no cure for it, although success gives relief until the writer begins the next project.

Why are writers so much at risk?The answers are complex, but we have some pointers.Uncertainty- Most occupations have a rite of entry, like in medicine or law. A writer might have accessed a great education like Dr. Seuss, an Oxford graduate. In contrast, Laura Ingalls Wildergo, creator of the Little House on the Prairie, did not complete high school. Both wrote memorable books.

Knowing that education, exceptional talent, or a combination of the two does not guarantee writing success can frustrate or derail those without self-belief.

Rejections- It helps new writers to remember famous authors have encountered rejection too. J. K. Rowling had at least twelve. One publisher advised her to join a writer’s group or take a writing course. Publishers rejected C. S. Lewis eight hundred times! How did he keep track of them all!

Stephen King threw out the Carrie manuscript. His wife rescued it. She had more faith than the thirty publishers who rejected it before it became a best seller.

Scott Fitzgerald was told that he needed to get rid of his Gatsby character to have a decent book. Fortunately for entertainment, he ignored them.

In the digital age, they rejected Lisa Genova one hundred times before she decided to self-publish. Movie success followed.

Telemarketers experience the rejection of products owned by others, but writers write their stories. It is difficult to ignore rejection when it is your handiwork that is being discarded. Self-doubt is hard to avoid, yet we must accept it as a natural cost of the writing business.

All’s well that ends well, but it takes courage and persistence to push self-defeating thoughts away.

Digital Age- The internet has created a smaller, faster world. It seems as if it is no longer enough to be a writer. You need your followers, your social media presence, the podcasts, and more technical skills than pounding a typewriter. They are many more writers striving to connect within the same market.

This competition is great for our customers but creates a more challenging writing climate.

How do we manage our insecurity?We can thrive by doing three simple things.

1. Practice Writing

Writing like any type of art has its conventions, but complying with all the rules will not ensure success. Occasionally, one hears of a sensational new writer, but usually, success comes because of lots of practice. Medium stars like Kuegler and Denning advise frequent writing.

Gustave Flaubert declared, “I am irritated by my own writing. I am like a violinist whose ear is true, but whose fingers refuse to reproduce precisely the sound he hears within.”

We can identify with Flaubert, but despite our frustration and impatience, we still need to continue writing if we are to come close to perfection.

2. Publish Writing

Writing without publishing is like having a party without guests.

“Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.” — William Faulkner.

There is a balance to be struck between doing our best work and being a perfectionist. We have to find it and take the chance to submit the work. It takes courage to allow ourselves to be judged. We feel exposed, so vulnerable.

Resilience helps us to try again after another rejection. We tell ourselves that rejection is an occupational hazard but really want to avoid it. This year, I hope to get one hundred rejections because it would mean that I have written many more stories than I wrote last year. I hate the ones I’ve already received.

Sylvia Plath developed a love for her rejection slips because they showed how much she tried. It could have been bravado, for, in 1962, the New Yorker having rejected her work sarcastically wondered if they were being dense in their rejection of her. She was “dense” enough to ignore their message and kept submitting. She did not know that her poems would win a Pulitzer Prize posthumously.

3. Finally, let’s Get Peer Support

We all need our tribe. If you cannot find a local group, many courses like Writing Practice or Medium Mastery have Facebook groups. During my search, I found a website of special interest. They built it specifically for a special group of writers. I joined them at https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/publications.html. Here is its home page:

Website for insecurewriterssupportgroup

Their mission statement is very transparent

We are a home for writers in all stages; from unpublished to bestsellers. Our goal is to offer assistance and guidance. We want to help writers overcome their insecurities, and by offering encouragement we are creating a community of support.

In any group, there will be competition and comradeship. Generous colleagues motivate us with their advice, criticism, and support. It is worth investing time to find a writing group that is a good fit.

Let us normalize our writing insecurity. Breathe deeply and think of the influential writers who’ve made the same journey.

How to Use Insecurity to Improve your Writing Productivity. was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.