| Unless you are writing only for yourself, so the words | | | | without giving the genre or audience or your talent a |
| are never shown to anyone else, you will need to | | | | solid effort is not a good idea; it is a display of lack of |
| develop confidence in yourself - as a writer and in | | | | confidence. |
| your writing - in order to succeed. | | | | FINDING THE RIGHT GENRE IS LIKE FITTING |
| DO YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE AS A WRITER? | | | | CLOTHING |
| Do you call yourself a writer and actually believe the | | | | It is a matter of finding the right fit, like clothes. Some |
| statement? | | | | clothes are too tight, binding you under the arms or |
| For five years, I did so before I actually believed it. One | | | | around the chest or waist. This binding causes |
| day I said, "I am a writer" and realized that it was true. | | | | discomfort or outright pain. Other clothes are too loose, |
| Somehow the confidence had snuck up on me over | | | | or too flamboyant, or of a texture that is not pleasing |
| those five years of struggle. I was not embarrassed | | | | to you. |
| making the statement nor did I apologize, explain, or | | | | Writing is the same way. I prefer the moderate length |
| belittle myself or my ambitions or achievements. I | | | | pieces of writing, whether fiction or nonfiction. I enjoy |
| simply said it and moved on. | | | | writing for a younger audience, but I also enjoy helping |
| I remember standing on the threshold of my front door, | | | | people like myself, writers. Over the years, I have tried |
| holding a letter from my soon-to-be-publisher, reading | | | | on many different writing styles and have finally found |
| that she wanted me to write a textbook for her | | | | several that fit me nicely. |
| company. I stood there, awestruck. I could not move. I | | | | Writing is also like social media. Many sites offer |
| doubt if I cried (I might have), but I remember thinking, | | | | tantalizing opportunities to connect with others. Your |
| "Wow, I have finally made it." This letter came nearly | | | | job is to try out as many as you have time for, so that |
| twenty years after self-publishing my first book in 1980. | | | | you can find the few sites that match your needs and |
| At that moment, I had validation of my talents as a | | | | grant useful benefits. Once you have found your |
| writer. My skills and talent as a writer were wanted, | | | | preferred sites, you can enjoy writing for them. |
| and would be paid for, to write two textbooks, using | | | | Writing is the same way. In the beginning - heck, |
| my own ideas and classroom experiences. The first | | | | throughout your career - try out new ideas, new |
| textbook came out the following year, 1999 and the | | | | genres, new audiences, new topics, and as they say, if |
| next one in the series in 2000. | | | | it sticks, go with it. |
| WHAT DOES A LACK OF CONFIDENCE LOOK | | | | I remember my first short story teacher at a |
| LIKE? | | | | community college. She told me that I "was very |
| Lack of confidence can look like nothing - nothing is | | | | talented and should continue writing." I dismissed her |
| produced, that is. The writer is so petrified of failure, or | | | | praise because I lacked confidence in myself as a |
| success (take your pick), that nothing is written. | | | | fiction writer. After all, I was just learning my craft; how |
| Perhaps a few initial attempts are made, but each | | | | could she praise me for those beginning efforts? |
| rejection is another nail in the writer's career coffin. | | | | Years later, when a studio executive made the same |
| The lack of confidence can also create a | | | | comment about my screenplay, I thanked him and |
| checkerboard career of writing experiences and | | | | chalked it up as one more feather in my confidence |
| writing attempts, with the writer jumping from one field | | | | cap. I was finally ready to hear that compliment. I had |
| to another, one genre to another, hoping for success | | | | achieved my own confidence as a writer, so hearing |
| and confirmation of writing talent. This pattern was my | | | | from others just made sense. |
| experience. | | | | SO WHAT DOES HAVING CONFIDENCE MEAN? |
| Every time a rejection comes in, it triggers a jump to a | | | | Confidence means you trust in your talent and skills as |
| new field or genre, hoping the new one will be "the | | | | a writer. |
| one" because, obviously, the rejection proves a lack of | | | | Confidence means you know, in your heart, that you |
| talent for that field or genre. However, that attitude | | | | write well, that your writing has meaning and can be of |
| disregards the reality that any kind of writing - any | | | | help to your readers. |
| activity - takes practice, and often lots of it. | | | | Confidence means being able to take risks as a writer. |
| When I was younger, and just starting out as a writer, I | | | | You put your work out to the world to be read and |
| struggled to find the kind of writing I could enjoy and | | | | criticized or applauded. But you put it out there. |
| excel at. I tried short stories, but they were too short. I | | | | Confidence means you can separate yourself from |
| tried novels, but they were too long. Then I stumbled | | | | your work. When someone criticizes your work, you |
| upon adolescent novels, which are about 150 | | | | do not feel like you have been personally insulted. You |
| manuscript pages, just right for my sensitivities. Later I | | | | are not a bad person just because someone does not |
| felt confident enough to tackle screenplays, which are | | | | like your work. Sure, you created the writing out your |
| up to 120 pages but with far fewer words per page | | | | experiences, fantasies, fears, emotions, and other |
| than a novel. I had found Nirvana, at least as a writer. | | | | filters, but the writing is not you. You can take the |
| I also liked writing nonfiction and played around with | | | | criticism, apply the good points to the writing and learn |
| various genres. I found I was good at instructional | | | | from them, and toss the rest. |
| writing, creating classroom materials, courses, | | | | Confidence means you can write for others, to their |
| workbooks, which was useful in teaching writing skills. I | | | | specifications and ideas, if you choose to. Writing for |
| also found that I loved to write books, especially in the | | | | others is much harder than writing for yourself, using |
| 200-page range for the manuscript. I have written | | | | your own ideas and goals as direction. |
| much longer manuscripts (both textbooks were 1000 | | | | Confidence means you know you can tackle any |
| pages to start, until my editor said, "Cut it!") | | | | writing task you confront. You might struggle at first |
| I tried articles but initially rejected them as being too | | | | (which may shake you up) with the new challenge, and |
| short, even at 1000 words or more. Writing on my blog | | | | you may need to rely on samples of the genre, but |
| has taught me I can write the shorter articles and | | | | eventually you will feel like you are in control. You can |
| enjoy the process. It is simply a matter of picking the | | | | succeed with the task. That is confidence. |
| right sized topic for the size of article, but that | | | | Confidence means you have achieved enough |
| sensitivity takes practice. | | | | success as a writer to overcome the skepticism of |
| Of course, we are all meant to write something | | | | your worst critic (no, not your mother) - yourself. |
| different, so hopping is required to try out different | | | | CONCLUSION |
| options before settling on the right one(s). I may admire | | | | You will never know when that feeling of confidence |
| those writers who can pump out quality novels, one or | | | | will strike you, or sneak up on you without your |
| two novels a year, but I know that kind of writing is not | | | | realizing it. You will never know when it will happen. But |
| for me. | | | | it will happen, someday. Until then, keep on writing. |
| But hopping too quickly from one option to another | | | | |