February 10, 2021-“A ship is always safe at shore, but that’s not what it’s built for.”-Albert Einstein
As we continue our topic of stepping out of our comfort zones this month, I think of the above quote quite often. Did you know the same is true for authors? We’re safe keeping our words to ourselves, away from the world, but that’s not what we’re built for. The creation of any type of art, puts us in a vulnerable situation where people can judge what we’ve written and once the words are out there, we can never get them back. It’s an exhilarating process, but terrifying at the same time because we don’t know what to expect! Here are some tips for silencing your inner critic that will help you set sail to your writing destination:
- Remind yourself. You’ve been through a lot of things that have made you stronger, you’ve overcome challenges, and you’ve even surprised yourself at times with what you have been able to do. Remind yourself of this every time you’re afraid to put the words on the page, send in your manuscript, read the reviews of your work, and when you’re feeling hesitant about getting started. Reminding ourselves of how far we’ve come can be just the boost we need to get going!
- The 5×5 rule. I have a rule for my life; if it isn’t going to matter in 5 years, don’t spend more than 5 minutes worrying about it. Is anyone going to remember the bad review of your book five years from now? Are you going to be upset that the manuscript you sent in five years ago was never published? The point is, not to get upset, but to do something about it! Keep submitting, keep honing your craft, and keep working toward improving your writing skills because that is what is going to make a difference in your life five years from now and beyond.
- Map it out. Ships have a destination and so should you for your writing life. What would you accomplish if you weren’t afraid? Where could you go in your writing? Where could your writing life take you? Where would you like it to lead? Map out a plan for yourself and your future and work on it every day. We don’t need fine details, but we need an overall view of where we are going so that we know when we get there. For example, someone wrote me an email a few weeks back that they wanted to become a best selling author, so they started with our Best Seller Bootcamp course, then they researched the genre they wanted to write in, and started writing. Now they are at the second draft stage and their work is really taking shape. If they had never left the harbor so to speak, they would still be stuck there. I applaud this person for taking the first steps to get where they want to go. You can do the same!
I hope that you’re enjoying our theme this month of stepping out of your comfort zone. Feel free to send in your questions and comments to pandapublising8@gmail.com. Also, check out our podcast on Podbean every Tuesday and Thursday. Download the app on the Google Play Store or iTunes to take us with you on the go!