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Our doubts are traitors,
And make us lose the good we oft might win
Our doubts are traitors,
And make us lose the good we oft might win
By fearing to attempt.
~William Shakespeare
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My fear of failure has been taking over my life lately. It is so difficult not to worry that your children won’t fit in, that they won’t be accepted. And by children, I mean my writing. Because they are my children. I have cared for them, nurtured them, fashioned them into what I believe to be best for them…
Yes, motivational words sometimes help. But for me they just feel like a “tut tut, it’ll be alright”…
Depite the words of encouragement I have received, my inner voice just keeps saying, “They’re not going to like it. They may say they like it now, but they’re not going to like it down the road. There’s going to be something that will warrant a complete rewrite.”
Why do I do this to myself? I don’t think I was this neurotic with my previous books, but I think that is because I already had some positive feedback before it went for editing. This one has previously seen just two eyes other than my own.
I don’t believe I take criticism badly–well, maybe this is an indication that I must–but the waiting for the judgement, and “expecting the worst, hoping for the best” is killing me. I hate to live by such a depressing motto, especially when this business is tough enough as it is (and requires a positive attitude)…
Anyway, that’s all I really had to say. I’m just going to keep reading Shakespeare’s quote above and try to channel it in some way.