Browsing Pinterest, I came across this:
                                                              Source: dawncamp.bigcartel.com via Susan on Pinterest
It made me think at all the time writers need to show courage to be true to their stories…
- Sometimes it is about writing in a way which scares us a little because we´re not sure we can. It seems too powerful, too out-there, too crazy, too elaborated, simply too much for our ability but we take our chances.
- Sometimes we reach a place in our writing which is painful but we power through.
- Sometimes we know we´re breaking the so-called writing rules but we go for it.
- Sometimes we wonder if we will ever succeed but we keep on writing.
When the writing gets tough, it may just mean we have to overcome our fear, whatever it is. We´re all courageous in our writing one way or another and we should remember it.
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. (Mark Twain)
Tell me, what is one scary moment you had to overcome in your writing  journey?
Elodie Nowodazkij 
I was afraid of disappointing my editor. She was a writer I admired and I’d read many of her books. When I heard she was going to be my editor, I got really nervous. I wasn’t sure it would measure up to the first book. She made me really look at my manuscript’s beginning, which was the weakest part of the novel. She made me push my ability as a writer. I really wanted the book published and wanted my editor to be proud of me, so I battled through and got it done. 🙂
Aww so glad you found an editor who is enabling you to get the best out of your writing 😀 I think like you I would have been soooo nervous but it really seems like she helped you become an even better writer. Congrats!!! 😀
Thank you for reminding me of this. I love Jason Myers writing. It is gritty and awful and I love it. Today, I went on GReads and was so disheartened to see the brutal of his books. It made me paralyzed of what was going to happen to TRAINWRECK. But then, I read a post like this and I remember what I wrote that book for and it is all okay again. Thanks, E.
I remember feeling that way about one of Colette´s books. Loved it as a teenager. Really. Read it several times and on goodreads, it got such a poor review. But this doesn´t make the book less for me or for anybody else who enjoyed the story. We all developed our personal stories with the books we read 😀 When it comes to TRAINWRECK, it´s a story that needs to be read, it´s a story you needed to write for you and for many others. It´s a story that will move people. And that´s what counts.
So far, I would say there have been two almost equally scary moments. The first was when I first had someone else read my novel. It wasn’t the first draft, so the book was to a point where I was happy with it–but it was still scary having someone other than me look at it. I was afraid they’d laugh, or they’d tell me “it’s good” but in a way I knew they were just trying to be kind. The second was when I sent my first query. There’s an excitement to querying, but also a sense of dread. You know the chances are good you’ll get a rejection. But you also know that once you query that agent and get a rejection, that’s it. You have to strike that agent off the list and move on (for this project anyway). And then there’s the whole rejection, which is intensified because you’re being rejected by an industry professional–someone who knows about books.
Of course, these fears are irrational. Your first reader should care enough about you to be gently honest in their critique. And agents’ likes and dislikes are highly subjective–even if they know what they’re talking about–so a rejection from one doesn’t mean the whole industry has rejected you. But those fears are still there.
I like the Twain quote, though. So true. Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s pressing on despite fear.
I always get scared when sending something off to someone and I cannot imagine how nervous I will be when I start querying! 😀 I might come back to this comment once I start sending out my queries (at some point ) Congrats on making those steps! The fears may be irrational but as you say they´re still there, lurking in the background but we just keep moving forward 😀
I think one of the scariest writing moments for me would have to have been when I hit send on that first email to you with the beginning of my WiP. I was so worried that you would think it was terrible, and thank God you didn’t. 🙂
I’m one of those people who battles self-doubt and self-belittling when it comes to my writing. I have these moments when I think my story and/or my writing are not too bad, but these are crowded out all too often by the doubt and the voice in my head that says I’m not good enough and that I’ll never get to a point where I will be good enough. I just keep powering through and hoping that I’ll continue to get better, and because I just love doing it. 🙂 Thanks for sharing this quote and post today, Elodie. It’s always good to hear that kind of encouragement!
Sending that email off asking you to be my CP was already super scary but sending my first chapters got me super nervous too 😀 I understand the fear about your writing not being good enough and the self doubt…but I can reassure you (or t*ry to* reassure you :D): your writing is as good as many books I have read, as good as many of my favorites. And…your story is very intriguing. I want to know more about it. I am starting to care about the characters just a few chapters into the story. We can always better our craft. I remember someone asking at the Teen Author Carnival: “When do you know you were done with your WiP?” and all pretty much answered: “I´m still not done even if it´s on the bookshelf:” 😀
Writing often means digging deeply into ourselves and that can be quite scary. The best stories come from a place of honesty, but first we have to brave enough to tap into that raw truth.
To some extent, I think I’m still on that journey, but I’ve made some huge strides this year.
It can indeed be quite scary, digging into those places we didn´t know we had 😀 I am not sure the writing journey is ever over. And I think that´s a good thing 😀
I took a writing class last year and I had to read my first page out loud for the whole class. It was the first time I had ever shared my WIP with anyone, and I knew my class didn’t like YA, so I was really nervous about it. But I figured–I am never going to see any of these people after the class is over, and I need to see if this story is going to work. So I read it, and I ended up getting great feedback from my class.
Wow, reading out loud in front of everybody must be quite terrifying at first. I used to teach and was getting super scared right at the beginning but…I was not sharing my own words so WOW again! 😀 I am glad you got great feedback from the class!