The Only Thing We Have To Fear...

Lately I've noticed several comments online about writers being scared to submit. Literally frightened. So much so, some can't get up the nerve.

Let me just say here and now, I don't get it.

I get that no one wants to be rejected. But to actually fear the process? To shake at the thought of pushing the send button?

Don't those writers understand that for every one of them, there are 100 other writers who aren't afraid to submit, who aren't going to spend days agonizing over whether or not they should send their book to their dream agent or wait until they've revised it for the 209th time? This is not a business for the faint of heart. You need a thick skin and a bold approach.

You know what else? Those fearless writers are the ones who will end up with representation and a contract first.

Dorothy Thompson said "There is nothing to fear except the persistent refusal to find out the truth, the persistent refusal to analyze the causes of happenings."

I love this saying because it really applies to fearful writers. If you're afraid to find out the truth - that your writing isn't up to a certain agent or editor's standards and you're afraid to find out why by working on your craft, why are you a writer in the first place? Getting rejected sucks, but it's not scary. It should be a motivator for you to study the craft more, find out how you can make your work better. Not cower in a corner.

Look, if you're too afraid to submit but you want to pursue writing as a career, you have a choice to make. Get over it, or do something else with your time. What else is there?