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Blogs by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne
Overcoming Writer's Fright
7/6/2012 6:16:12 AM
As authors we all strive to achieve our goals, but one of the big obstacles I’ve encountered is what I’d call “writer’s fright.” It’s a fear of new ventures. What are the symptoms? It’s not only clammy fingers when you’re typing, but you’re plagued with a mind full of doubts. Can I do this? What happens if I fail? Am I better off not to try at all? Those doubting thoughts are often swirling in my head. In order to overcome these fears, we need a strategy. Here are some remedies to help if you have the same problem:
• Think about the worst that can happen-When I was growing up, if I was afraid to try something, my dad would always say,” What’s the worst that can happen? Maybe that would apply when he was teaching me to jump horses. We decided the worst thing was I could fall off, but I’d just get back on and try again. The same would apply if you got a rejection letter for an article you thought was your best ever. You could try to improve it, and resubmit it at a later date. You just try again and eventually, you’ll have a better result.
• Identify the problem: Let’s say your article was rejected by an editor but the reason was that they only accept articles that are 500 words or less, but yours in 850 words. Revise it. Figure out what scenes are really important, and which are not. Maybe you have too much dialogue that doesn’t really move the story along. Or maybe you have one character who doesn’t have an important job in your story. Perhaps the magazine has recently published an article on the same subject. In that case you can ask how long you’d need to wait to resubmit it.
• Experience and confidence will carry you forward: Once you begin solving these little roadblocks, you’ll have the confidence you nee d to overcome them. You’d be surprised what can be done if you try. How do I know? Well, for example, I was completely petrified when renowned author, Claire Power Murphy, asked me to be interviewed on her radio show, “Improve Every Year.” As a shy person, all I could think of was making a mistake and saying something dopey. But Claire carefully explained what to expect and helped me feel confident. I’ve done four interviews with her on womensradio.com and we received top billing for the last one, “Building Character Through Children’s Stories. It’s just proof that anything can happen if you persevere.
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More Blogs by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne
• Important Hints on Writing an Outstanding Query Letter - Sunday, April 28, 2013
• What is theme? Do you Need Ideas? - Monday, March 04, 2013
• Looking for the Key to Success? Here it is! - Friday, March 01, 2013
• Writing for Children? Will Someone Steal your Work? - Saturday, December 29, 2012
• Writing for Children? Adding Conflict - Monday, November 19, 2012
• Writing for Children? Be Sure your Character Grows - Monday, October 15, 2012
• Another Amazing Olympian, Hiroshi Hoketsu - Tuesday, July 31, 2012
• Interesting Happening from the Olympics - Monday, July 30, 2012
• Kieran Behan, A Winner Against All Odds - Sunday, July 29, 2012
• The Opening Ceremony - Saturday, July 28, 2012
• Go USA Olympians! - Friday, July 27, 2012
• Who Should Publish Your Story? - Thursday, July 26, 2012
• Five Important Truths About Rejection and Your Children’s Book - Wednesday, July 25, 2012
• A Look at the Inspiring life of Children's Author, Carla Burke - Tuesday, July 24, 2012
• Making your Characters Memorable - Monday, July 23, 2012
• Bored with Writing? What to do Next - Sunday, July 22, 2012
• We're bored, now what? - Saturday, July 21, 2012
• Where do you Find Ideas for Your Children's Stories ? - Friday, July 20, 2012
• Beginners Guide to Creating the Pefect Children's Story - Thursday, July 19, 2012
• What is conflict and why is it Important to your Story? - Wednesday, July 18, 2012
• Have you Ever Heard of Easton, CT? - Tuesday, July 17, 2012
• Conquering "Pikes Peak" - Monday, July 16, 2012
• Keys to Success in your Children's Story - Sunday, July 15, 2012
• Why Setting Goals is Important - Saturday, July 14, 2012
• Reaching Beyond Your Goals Through Therapeutic Riding - Friday, July 13, 2012
• Top Three Reasons why you Should Persevere - Thursday, July 12, 2012
• Random Things About Me - Wednesday, July 11, 2012
• Cody Jackson, Pint Sized Patriot - Tuesday, July 10, 2012
• A Shout Out to my Readers! - Monday, July 09, 2012
• Themes and Morals, What's the Difference? - Sunday, July 08, 2012
• What Should you Write About? - Saturday, July 07, 2012
• Overcoming Writer's Fright - Friday, July 06, 2012
• It's P. T. Barnum's Birthday-Let's celebrate! - Thursday, July 05, 2012
• Happy Birthday, USA - Tuesday, July 03, 2012
• Consistency-Why is it Important for Your Childrens' Story? - Friday, June 29, 2012
• Creating Memorable Characters for your Children’s Stories - Wednesday, June 13, 2012
• When your Ending Meets the Beginning of your Children's Stroy - Tuesday, February 07, 2012
• Why is Dialogue Important to your Children's Story? - Saturday, January 07, 2012
• Do you Remember the First Story you Published? - Saturday, August 27, 2011
• How was Tails of Sweetbrier Created? - Saturday, August 27, 2011
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