IWSG: What do you need to give up to write?

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Insecure Writers Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time.

Be sure to visit our fearless leader--Alex J. Cavanaugh and his co-hosts for the March 4 posting of the IWSG will be Chemist Ken, Suzanne Sapseed, and Shannon Lawrence!

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First thing I have to give up to write, is the Fear of Failure.  

Fear of Failure-You don't succeed without experiencing failure. Just make sure you fail forward.
~~ Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Old Bridge, N. J.

I found this list by chance through a radio station I listen to--The JOY FM --and the very first on thing to give up for Lent on the list, really hit me where my writer's heart lives. That's the inspiration for my first Insecure Writers Support Group post. I hope you find some help here.

40 Things to Give Up for Lent

Writers are very prone to the Fear of Failure. That's what keeps up from writing at all. It also causes us to quail at the thought of revisions and editing. Are we scared of writing a query or synopsis? Yep, that's the Fear of Failure, too.

So, how do you Fall Forward? Here's some ideas that came to me while I contemplated this idea.

• The only bad words are those that never get written. Having to revise is a good thing. Really.
• Risking a hard critique is also Failing Forward because we can learn some things that don't work as well as we thought and we can learn to do them better.
• Rejections hurt! But we can use them to spur Failing Forward when we double down and rework our submission.
• Contests are important, not because we win (though that would be nice), but because we can Fail Forward with the feedback that adds to our writing from people who have no prior knowledge of the MS. Which is what happens when we query.

As a writer and a person, I'm giving up the Fear of Failure. From now on, I want to embrace failure as a learning, growing, improving occasion. 

Remember! Take every failure as a chance to Fail Forward. ;-)

Next Week: I'm going to dip my toe into the Query Game. At least, I'm going to share a few links to info about that necessary step. ;-)