IWSG: Reborn

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Hello all! I hope you were able to enjoy a wonderful holiday season doing things you enjoy. It's our first post of the year, and a time of rebirth. As many people tend to do, I decided to make a few New Year's resolutions. However, I decided to limit myself to just TWO this year. That's doable right? I can handle two tasks. Easier said than done.

Resolution #1 - Complete tasks - this didn't become a problem for me until I had kids. In fact, I have OCD tendencies that demanded I finish things just so. However, anyone with kids knows that when you have two infants, or multiple toddlers, or anyone else living in your house, everything can quickly become about them and not you. At first, it was necessary for me to learn to let things slide, but after a while it became a habit. Then, it became an excuse. This leads me to:

Resolution #2 - Trust myself - confidence has never been my strongest trait. i.e. sometimes it's hard to find any at all. This applies to many areas of my life, but especially in my writing. No matter how many articles, short stories, poems, pictures, blog posts, whatever, that I publish I'm always questioning my abilities. When I finally do complete a work and submit it, I anxiously wait. I'm so excited about the piece I've submitted that I can't wait to hear back. This problem always leads to one of two outcomes. One: they rejected it, and I'm left wondering what made me think it was okay to submit. Or two: they accept it with congratulations, and I'm left wondering what's wrong that they are willing to publish my work. Is there something wrong with the publisher? Did they not receive enough entries? Why are they publishing me? Super neurotic, right?

So, those are my two resolutions. Thankfully, I recently found a book that has made me feel so much better - The Shy Writer - Reborn: An Introverted Writer's Wake-Up Call. It's opened my eyes to some of the things that cause me to feel the way I do, how so many others are similar, and what I might do to help myself.

I highly recommend this book. It doesn't matter if you are a beginner, or a multiple award-winning author. We all struggle with our confidence from time to time. Whether you dread marketing, public speaking, and/or sharing your creations this book can help. The author, C. Hope Clark, helps you to embrace your strengths and weakness, and to move forward with renewed confidence. This book is a true comfort that has earned a permanent place on my bookshelf. I hope you will give it a try.

Happy New Year, and Happy Rebirth!

What kind of resolutions are you making?