IWSG: A Few of my Favorite (Writer) Fears
It's the first Wednesday, and time again for the Insecure Writers' Support Group post. I'm delighted to be a co-host this month.
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG
Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG 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.
This month's question gets to the heart of what the IWSG is all about! We all have fears and doubts as writers (I hope we do. Every story I've ever read suggests that a total lack of self-doubt is a sign of impending disaster). So what am I afraid of?
I think I'm getting better about fears of rejection (I'm practicing a lot!), and I usually am able to remember that I CAN write and I DO have talent. But those require pretty regular maintenance efforts to retain the confidence, so they do qualify as fears ("what if people are just being nice when they say they like my books?").
I think my bigger fears go deeper, and aren't just about writing.
- Fear of screwing up. Getting it wrong. What is "it"? A lot of things. Everything from plot holes to worries about creating LGBTQ characters. I worry about this IRL, too--not the plot holes or characters, but screwing up in human relations. In fact, I may be more confident in writing than I am in negotiating the real world.
- Fear that the writing will end. Writing is a huge chunk of my identity. Who am I if I'm not writing? That may actually be part of why I don't like to travel for more than a few weeks at a time--I don't write much when traveling, and what if I forget how? What if I stop being a writer?
How do I deal with these fears? Badly, most of the time. I used to melt down on my husband on a regular basis. I've spent the last 5 years (seriously? Five freaking years??) learning to pick myself up. It's a work in progress. As for a fear of not writing, that one... I fix by writing :)
Writer's Update:
I've been out and about a lot in the last month--I spent two weeks of April hiking in the Grand Staircase-Escalante national monument (check my weekend posts starting this week if you wonder why this area is worth protecting, or just like pretty pictures).
However: I'm writing flash fiction, because I'm teaching a class in it at the local senior center. And I've gotten feedback on Edited Out, and am busy... editing out the errors :) Looking forward to being able to share a cover soon, and set a publication date.
I'm still working on blurbs, but here's an early teaser:
Seffi’s part-time job at the local inn is fun, until things go wrong at an artists’ residency. When a demanding writer turns up dead, the local cops ask Seffi to use her botanical knowledge to figure out how. And could she hurry up, before the inn’s business tanks, and takes the bakery down with it?
Finally, I've luanched an Instagram account where I'm sharing my photos, new and old. Many are duplicates of what goes on the blog, but not all... @rebeccamdouglass
Share your fears, triumphs, and insecurities in the comments!
And, finally, my obligatory photo content... how about this author photo?
A week in the desert without washing my hair!
A shower improved matters somewhat:
©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2025
As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated.
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I cannot believe that on the day I'm hosting I failed to hit "publish"!
ReplyDeleteI wondered why it had arrived in my inbox so late. If its any consolation, I've done a ton of those in the recent months... you can tell when they don't go up before you go to bed :D
DeleteHope you're enjoying your co-hosting this week!
LOL! At least if you don't remember until morning, most of us out here in the US will never notice! Being on the West Coast, my post was so late people must have thought I'd flaked completely!
DeleteLove the hair, Rebecca. I can relate. Thanks for sharing your posts. I know it's not easy. Thanks for co-hosting. Best to you.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteLOVE your post. I can so relate to that list of "faults" and "failings" we writers carry around. I firmly believe that they keep us humble. That's my story, anyway!
ReplyDeleteI was going to say that I don't need to be kept humble... but that's not really true. I can get as fat-headed as the next person. Thanks for coming by!
DeleteThat is some wild hair!
ReplyDeleteAs long as you are expressing yourself i some way, that counts.
Definitely hat hair carried to an extreme!
DeleteI relate to both of your fears. Writing is a big part of my identity too, and whenever I'm in a slump (like now), I worry that the slump won't end. Then I remind myself that I am, in fact, in control of how I spend my time, and I can end my slump by planting my butt in the chair and writing.
ReplyDeleteI just followed you on Instagram - your photos are stunning! Grand Staircase-Escalante is so gorgeous. I traveled through that area a couple of times when I lived in Flagstaff.
Thanks for following, and for the compliment! I do like taking and sharing photos, and work pretty hard at editing them so that I'm sharing good pictures.
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your edit. Teaching a flash fiction class is cool.
Thanks for co-hosting.
All the best.
Shalom shalom
Pat Garcia
Hi again,
ReplyDeleteI forgot to write my name. The Anonymous person is me.
Shalom shalom
Pat Garcia
Well, you did, but thanks for making sure!
DeleteOh yeah! You can't be in this business without having a whole bunch of fears. It's not for the faint hearted.
ReplyDeleteAin't that the truth?!
DeleteSounds like you had fun on your trip.
ReplyDeleteFYI, I'm not being nice when I say I love your books. I'm so glad another Seffi adventure is on its way!
Ronel visiting for IWSG day A Refresher on Book Marketing
I had a great time, and no one got hurt (with me as the youngest in this group, we think about that!). And thanks for making my day :)
DeleteAs one of R's trusted (?) beta readers, I can tell you, Ronel, you're going to love this one! And I sort of imagine Seffi with the bad hair day look, slightly tamer, FYI, Rebecca!
DeleteJemima is a fantastic beta reader! But Seffi has a long braid, though things can get a little out of control :D
DeleteThe older I get the less I concern myself with success or doing anything to "save the world" so to speak. I do what I can and just keep on doing. Things will all work out like they are supposed to.
ReplyDeleteLee
On my good days, my view of "success" as a writer is that someone enjoyed something I wrote.
DeleteI relate to these fears. But I'm determined, so I keep slogging forward. @samanthabwriter from
ReplyDeleteBalancing Act
Just keeping on is what gets us there!
DeleteI appreciate your post this month because you clearly go deeper into what fears writers have. Since I'm older than dirt, I can tell you the writing does NOT go away! That is part of who you are. So, continue that traveling, consider taking a journal with you, write a poem now and then or scribble a drawing to spark your writing. And I love that hair AND your photos. Write on!
ReplyDeleteOh, a journal always goes with me! I carry a tiny notebook for backpacking, and haul the big journal everywhere else. My real greatest fear? Being stuck somewhere with nothing to read and nothing to write on!
DeleteI'm sorry, Rebecca, I'm laughing out loud! Thank you for that! I've forgotten to publish as well. On last Friday's post I accidentally set the date for one week in the future. And my hair never behaves in any climate. I loved your post! I can so relate. I love your honesty! And I love the Grand Staircase-Escalante national monument! You're one of my heroes, if that helps! Thanks for co-hosting.
ReplyDeleteAww! Thanks for those kind words. I got the hair cut today, so the next trip it won't be quite so wild! And I'm glad I'm not the only one who sometimes doesn't get all the little steps right :D
DeleteWonderful comparative photos! They made me smile.
ReplyDeleteMission accomplished! And man, nothing like a week in the desert to make you appreciate a shower.
Delete"I may be more confident in writing than I am in negotiating the real world" - my god, that is honest. Striped to the core, I'll bet that many others of us would agree - human beings don't come with manuals like AP or Chicago Style!
ReplyDeleteNo kidding. And (like pretty much everyone in my family), I probably land a bit far from center on the autism spectrum, which makes for a lack of certainty about how the world works.
DeleteI know what you mean about the journey and not believing how long you've been on it alone. But it's great that you still love writing and wrote flash fiction this month. Thanks for co-hosting
ReplyDeleteMy little writing class has been very good for me! A little discipline :)
DeleteNice little teaser there! I loved the photos! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI thought forgetting to "publish" and such was something only I managed to do - ha! No worries, we're glad to have you - Camp hair and all - co-hosting this month!
ReplyDeleteReading your beginning sentence made me think I was reading my own post (see if you agree) except you really did go deeper, deeper than I could. I get all choked up just thinking about a time when I can't write anymore. I just know I'll still have more to write about...
Have a wonderful month!
Well, based on comments so far there are at least 3 of us who sometimes forget to hit "publish."
DeleteYou packed a lot into that short blurb. I think it needs a couple dynamic words and then it will be perfect.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I haven't worked it over yet--I have a wonderful little on-line author group (besides this one!) where one member is a perfect genius at blurbs.
DeleteHa! Love the hair! - Melissa Maygrove (Blogger isn't playing nice after the update.)
ReplyDeleteHat hair! And Blogger all too often fails to play nice. I have learned how to turn off Enhanced Tracking Protection on the desktop, but not the iPad. Annoying!
DeleteHi! Thanks for hosting and for posting photos of yourself. I would love to follow you on Instagram to see the pretty pictures. I'm hoping there are some of the latest hike.
ReplyDeleteI'm putting up pictures of the recent trip in an unorganized manner :)
DeleteI tried to read all the comments, but it was an embarrassment of riches! So many well-deserved fans. Here’s hoping you get that cover soon 🫣
ReplyDelete:D
DeleteYou make us all feel by admitting that you forgot to hit publish! And adding in the timely reminder that the way to get better at dealing with rejection, is to get rejected a lot, so you have to submit a lot! Thanks for co-hosting this month too :)
ReplyDeleteDebs posting today from Fiction Can Be Fun
Also found at Debs Despatches
Glad to let my oopsie moments help others!
DeleteI used to get so afraid of running out of writing ideas and the writing coming to an end. Now, I don't have that as much as I'm proud of all that I have written. And the fact the ideas have yet to stop.
ReplyDeleteThanks for co-hosting this month and thanks for stopping by my blog. What an insighful post. I've wondered if I should give up on publishing all together but I will always write, even if I'm not sharing it. Fun pictures. Hope you had fun in the desert.
ReplyDeleteI fear that, too, that inspiration and drive will dry up. I hope not, for us both! Love the author photo <3
ReplyDelete