IWSG: Pitfalls

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.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive.Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.

AUGUST QUESTION: What pitfalls would you warn other writers to avoid on their publication journey?

MY ANSWER: Don't allow critiques or rejection to stop you. It's too easy to take criticism personally. Writing is such a personal act so it's extremely difficult not to allow a perceived attack to aggravate, anger, or depress us. Recognize reading can be subjective so give yourself some distance and time to assess whether the feedback is truly constructive. Do you still have more to learn, do you need to rework your manuscript, or should you completely ignore the otherwise useless comments? Regardless of the answer, never let someone else's opinion prevent you from pursuing your passion.

What pitfalls would you warn others about?