Sometimes when I write there's a little voice that tells me that no one is going to care about what I have to say. It asks me who is going to read this blog about writing, let alone care about what's written there. It asks me why anyone would want to read my prose at all, let alone pay for it.
It's a constant voice of doubt.
Hell, even as I'm writing this, I'm telling that little voice to shut the hell up every time it suggests I delete all of this and start this post over from scratch and pick a different topic. One that exposes less vulnerability.
But it's something that I would assume every writer deals with. It's that voice that says you're not good enough. The one that tells you not to worry about submitting the story to the publisher. The one that tells you it doesn't matter if you finish that novel. Or screenplay. Or whatever.
That little voice is a total asshole.
And my suspicion is that you shouldn't listen to him. (Or her. It can be female, too.)
In fact, that's part of what my goal in 2016 is going to be, to tell that voice to go straight to hell. There are so many things I've wanted to do in this space and for other writers that that voice tells me no one would care about. More writing prompts, more video blogs, more advice. If you want that sort of thing, anyway. That voice in my head keeps telling me that I don't have anything to add to the subject, that anything I say will have been said better by someone else. Someone like Chuck Wendig. Or Mike Stackpole, Jordan Kurella, or S.A. Hunt, or anyone else I read writing on the topic with any semblance of frequency.
Their voices are all so much more unique than mine. What could I add?
But I have a perspective. And something to say. And every now and again someone says I might have a glimmer of talent (doubtful, but I'll take it.) So I keep going. And do my best to silence that voice, no matter how much anxiety that might give me.
And that little voice doesn't just short circuit my blog-writing activities, it can sometimes cripple my ability to effectively write prose. Or even non-fiction I have on deadlines.
It can be awful.
But I'm here to say that we all get that voice stuck in our head now and again. We all feel like imposters. We all feel like we're never going to "make it," even if, by all appearances, it seems as though we have made it.
I think it comes with the territory.
Here's today's lesson: don't listen to that voice.
And let me know what you do want to see more of here. Whether that's writing prompts or video Q&As or even just me dissecting a story of your choice on here. Reach out. It's a lot easier for me to shut that voice out when I can add yours to the effort.
As for my writing: I did finish the draft of that survival horror novel. I guessed it would take about 45k words, and it clocked in at 45,600. So, I'm getting better at gauging the length of my stories when I set out to tell them.
Currently, aside from all of my normal freelance, I've been readying two books for submission to publishers, which means I've been working on synopses and query letters and finding that I'm rusty and don't exactly enjoy that work, but I hope the fruits of that labor will indeed be sweet. Preferably a jogan. Or a meiloorun. One or the other.
It's a constant voice of doubt.
Hell, even as I'm writing this, I'm telling that little voice to shut the hell up every time it suggests I delete all of this and start this post over from scratch and pick a different topic. One that exposes less vulnerability.
But it's something that I would assume every writer deals with. It's that voice that says you're not good enough. The one that tells you not to worry about submitting the story to the publisher. The one that tells you it doesn't matter if you finish that novel. Or screenplay. Or whatever.
That little voice is a total asshole.
And my suspicion is that you shouldn't listen to him. (Or her. It can be female, too.)
In fact, that's part of what my goal in 2016 is going to be, to tell that voice to go straight to hell. There are so many things I've wanted to do in this space and for other writers that that voice tells me no one would care about. More writing prompts, more video blogs, more advice. If you want that sort of thing, anyway. That voice in my head keeps telling me that I don't have anything to add to the subject, that anything I say will have been said better by someone else. Someone like Chuck Wendig. Or Mike Stackpole, Jordan Kurella, or S.A. Hunt, or anyone else I read writing on the topic with any semblance of frequency.
Their voices are all so much more unique than mine. What could I add?
But I have a perspective. And something to say. And every now and again someone says I might have a glimmer of talent (doubtful, but I'll take it.) So I keep going. And do my best to silence that voice, no matter how much anxiety that might give me.
And that little voice doesn't just short circuit my blog-writing activities, it can sometimes cripple my ability to effectively write prose. Or even non-fiction I have on deadlines.
It can be awful.
But I'm here to say that we all get that voice stuck in our head now and again. We all feel like imposters. We all feel like we're never going to "make it," even if, by all appearances, it seems as though we have made it.
I think it comes with the territory.
Here's today's lesson: don't listen to that voice.
And let me know what you do want to see more of here. Whether that's writing prompts or video Q&As or even just me dissecting a story of your choice on here. Reach out. It's a lot easier for me to shut that voice out when I can add yours to the effort.
As for my writing: I did finish the draft of that survival horror novel. I guessed it would take about 45k words, and it clocked in at 45,600. So, I'm getting better at gauging the length of my stories when I set out to tell them.
Currently, aside from all of my normal freelance, I've been readying two books for submission to publishers, which means I've been working on synopses and query letters and finding that I'm rusty and don't exactly enjoy that work, but I hope the fruits of that labor will indeed be sweet. Preferably a jogan. Or a meiloorun. One or the other.
As a reminder: The Aeronaut and Escape Vector are still out and still need your purchases and reviews. If nothing else, they can use you telling people about them. If you want signed copies, visit the shop here on this page.
Also! here's the full list of "rules and guidelines" I've been collecting over my years of studying writing advice and process.
Also! here's the full list of "rules and guidelines" I've been collecting over my years of studying writing advice and process.
As far as my work outside of all this: There's a lot of great stuff on Big Shiny Robot! and Full of Sith for you.
And please, please, please don't forget to check out any of my books, drop reviews of them on Amazon or Goodreads, and follow me on twitter and Facebook!