In my recent guest post for WriterUnboxed.com, I talked about how fear and shame often play a role in decisions on how we practice our craft and navigate our career. How we often make decisions about our writing career based on surface-level excuses that mask deeper motivations:
We resist writing for deeper reasons.
“It just feels so selfish, I have a responsibility to my kids, and the house is a mess.”
We resist craft for deeper reasons.
“That teacher doesn’t know what she is talking about, all of my beta readers loved it.”
We resist aspects of the publishing process for deeper reasons.
“Are people who self-publish really that desperate?”
We resist marketing for deeper reasons.
“Marketing doesn’t work. I tried it once and didn’t sell one additional book. Same thing happened to my friend.”
We resist social media for deeper reasons.
“I don’t have time to share photos of my lunch, I’m too busy for that.”
We resist success for deeper reasons.
“I grew up in a family where you didn’t gloat about what you are doing. Besides, I don’t deserve it.”
The post delves into the topic of shame, and concludes with ideas for how to better manage it when it crops up, including:
- Ask for help
- Get a second opinion
- Make experimenting a habit
- Always ask questions of others
- Address mental health concerns