Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click here to learn more or sign up.
Optional Monthly Question: Some common fears writers share are rejection, failure, success, and lack of talent or ability. What are your greatest fears as a writer? How do you manage them?
No video today. For some reason, I didn’t see my IWSG newsletter which usually serves as my reminder to post, so this is late. To be honest, I’m all over the place. Every day so far this week, I thought was the previous day. I’m behind on everything. With that said, here’s my answer to this month’s question, since it’s related.
As a black, middle-aged, lower-middle-class, faith-driven woman in the U.S., I experience rejection daily. There’s always going to be people who can find a problem with me, even if the problem doesn’t really exist. But that holds true for anyone, not just me. The masses may never even look at anything I write, but if one person relates or appreciates something I’ve written, I’m happy. Still, I would like to reach a wider audience, even if it is highly niche. I’m afraid I’ll miss the mark. I believe I have talent, but I still need support from other professionals to present work worthy of a general audience, but those are semantics.
By missing the mark, I mean not being able to complete projects in a timely manner- when ideas are relevant, when resources or personnel are readily or generously available, missing opportunities to connect with an audience. I never seem to have the time or meet the timing needed to make things happen the way I’d like. I seem to always be missing out on collaborations, promotional or networking opportunities, submission opportunities, and so much more. I never seem to be in the right places, on the right platforms, or in the right groups. I’m out of the loop. I keep missing the mark.
As far as managing it, I take it one day at a time. I’m focused on finishing projects while maintaining my mental and physical health. I’m happy with what I’m writing right now and that’s all I can really ask for. I’ve accepted that reaching a wider audience may not be in my near or far future. If it’s meant to be, perhaps I’ll find myself in the right places at the right time at some point.
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What are your writer fears?
How are you managing them?
It may take some time, but I promise, I will eventually stop by your blog.
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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Feather Stone,
Janet Alcorn,
Rebecca Douglass,
Jemima Pet,
and Pat Garcia!
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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #22).
Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.
7 replies on “#IWSG May 2025- Writer Fears?”
I’ll have to check, but I think I got this month’s NL. Sorry you didn’t, but glad you were able to post–better late…Well, you know.
Did you know the original meaning of “sin” was “to miss the mark”? When I saw that in your post, I remembered that bit of trivia. https://substack.com/@cleemckenzie/p-162835681
If you feel you are always in the wrong place, then law of averages that you will be in the right place eventually!
I really related to this post. I also feel like I’m missing opportunities, that they’re all passing me by because I lack the time, energy, and commitment to capitalize on them. I suppose the solution is to just keep on keeping on and have faith that the right opportunity will appear at the right time. But it’s hard.
I’m not sure I got the NL either. Maybe we’d better check our spam filters!
I know I miss lots of networking opportunities and the like, just because I’m kinda introverted and uncomfortable in that kind of situation. I am willing to shrug and go on writing, but it helps to have a steady retirement income without my writing (danged good thing, as most months my writing won’t even buy my bulk tea at H Mart).
I miss opportunities too. I think taking it one day at a time like you are is the best approach. We can’t be perfect, and we have other things in life we have to and want to focus on.
I’ve missed out on some comic cons this year because by the time I see it, it’s too late to get a booth, so I relate to this.
I’ve known for years that my writing will never appeal to the masses. I’m always going to be chasing a niche audience, and I find some comfort in that. Whenever someone doesn’t like my work, it’s easy for me to shrug and accept that they’re just not part of my audience.
But at the same time, I also keep feeling like I’m one or two steps behind understanding what my actual audience actually wants. So yeah, I get what you’re saying here.