Doubt Kills Dreams

Karim Seddiki

We've all been there. The literary industry is a tough business to break into--that is, if your only goal is to publish. There is nothing wrong with wanting to publish your work. I'm right there with you; I would like to publish my manuscript. I've had a one track mind for the past few months. I worked so hard on my manuscript that (under the guise of wanting to publish the first before writing the second) I doubted my ability to write another book. Friends, family, and Figment followers (the online writing community I'm apart of) have told me they love my book, the characters are compelling, the plot is interesting etc. Receiving feedback like that from about a hundred people (both family/friends and unbiased reviewers) should have been enough to set aside my doubts. However, doubt is a powerful motivator.

Doubt causes inaction. Questions like : 'Why did I think I could do this? What makes me the right person to write this novel?' start to swell over you. The thing is: if you doubt yourself too much to try, then you have already failed. You only fail when you stop trying your best. Doubting yourself and your abilities is never going to get you anywhere. Be confident in your abilities. Doubt will keep you from writing and if you don't write you won't improve. Your work might not be ready to be published or even ready for human consumption (outside of review groups), but that isn't failure. That is a sign that you need to believe in yourself and continue writing. Don't give up, have faith that you will improve!

Have you struggled with doubt? Tell me your success (or your fall-on-your-face-failture if you like) stories in the comments!

High/Low

The high point of my week was when I started coming up with ideas for a sequel to my book.

The low point: my favorite agent (who requested the first 30 pages of my manuscript) sent me a form rejection letter on Tuesday.

Though the rejection was disappointing, I am not ready to give up so soon. Many great authors struggled to find representation after sending out hundreds of queries. Having only sent out around 30 query letters, I feel hopeful that I will find someone who loves my characters as much as I do! And if I don't, that's okay too. Writing my manuscript was one of the best things I have ever done--no regrets!!


How about you? What was your high/low of your writing life this week?

How Soon is Too Soon?

My writing has been on standby since I finished editing my manuscript. I've been writing prompts and little stories, but nothing substantial. I've been waiting for the responses and hopefully offers (to represent my book) to roll in. However, so far, I have received a partial request and a whole lot of rejection letters. I didn't want to start something new until I felt like my manuscript was finished. Now, I am convinced that my manuscript is finished, but I still feel apprehensive to move forward.

Yesterday, I started thinking of starting a more serious writing project. I've come up with a couple of ideas for sequels to my first book. I feel like my characters have so much more to tell, but at the same time, starting a sequel to a book that doesn't have representation might not be a great idea. Or maybe it is a great idea--who knows? Seriously, if anyone knows, feel free to comment below! 

Anyway, I realized I was thinking from a publisher's view instead of a writer's view. I'm a writer. My character's stories feel like they are growing and evolving, but I've been ignoring their voices because (from a publishers standpoint) writing a second book may not be the most best idea right now. 

Since I am a writer who writes to write and not to publish, I think I will start working on a sequel (or at least coming up with ideas for one). 

What do you think? Should I start a sequel? Tell me in the comments! Or tell me about your struggle with sequels and/or writing to write verses to publish!

Accepting Judgement

When I started writing my manuscript in January of 2012, I was writing it for me. It was nothing more than a personal project. A story of two best friends and a mysterious stalker filled my mind until it practically busted onto the page. After six months of writing, I reached out to other writers. That is when I realized I wanted to share my story with the world. Now, a year later, I am composing dozens of drafts of query letters, piecing together a synopsis, and searching for an agent. When I first started writing, I was not familiar with Erica Jong's quote, but I am glad my story started out as a personal project. If I had tried to write my story for the world, it may never have been finished.