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Confidence

con5006

Updated: Nov 23, 2021

Do you love writing but haven't yet had the chops to show your work to anyone? Are you wondering if it's "any good"? Are you secretly worried that nobody will be interested in reading what you've written?

I know exactly what that's like. I know what it feels like to be full of self-doubt, wondering if you're kidding yourself that what you have is worthy of publishing.

To some extent I'm still there, as I'm still in the process of pitching my first book, and deciding who might be the most appropriate people to take it on - if indeed it's good enough!


Writing groups, creative writing courses, and asking the opinion of trusted friends can all help give you a feel for how your work might be received. Just make sure you pick the ones who will appreciate what a terrifying thing it can be, to show them your innermost musings, who will read your work (as quickly as they can) and who will give you an honest opinion about it.


Its a very big thing, to write a book, and an even bigger thing to offer it up for consumption, and we all know how hard it is to get an agent, a contract, and a published work. There are a lot of cautionary tales out there, and there IS a lot of rejection, but JK Rowling was rejected twelve times before someone took a punt on Harry Potter, and look how that turned out! And Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain, initially rejected more than sixty times (!) went on to become not just a best seller but a cracking movie too.


Its important to have self-belief, and not to give up. The truth is, not every agent is looking for what we're writing, so rejections might be less about the quality of the work than whether it fits with what they're actually accepting. I'm researching agents to find the ones who seem to deal with the genre I'm pitching. I think it will be worth the time. I'm also working on my 'hook' and my synopsis, as my first impression.


Wish me luck! And luck to you too! Let's DO this!!!





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