fear – Josephine Moon

Q. What’s the biggest mistake I see aspiring writers make?

A. They jump straight to writing a novel without first mastering the art of the short story. That’s like me at 16, dreaming of competing in the equestrian events at Olympic Games. Alas, my beloved horse, Hercules, refused to jump a ground pole, despite being a whopping 17 hands high.

A novel is a marathon, and few of us are genetically blessed to simply get up and run marathons. Most of us, though, can manage a short jog through the park with our dog or kids. That’s the beauty of short stories. They are fast! They are fun! And then… they are DONE!

Seven Reasons to Write Short Stories:

You can practice writing in different genres, points of view, tenses, and about different topics for minimal effort. Most importantly, it helps you learn to find and strengthen your “voice”. Your voice is unique to you and it’s often the thing that secures you fans for life.

You can take risks! Ooo, this is such a good one! For your writing to grow and mature, you’re going to need to take risks. You need to find the boundaries of your comfort zone. Short stories let you try before you buy.

Log your ‘apprenticeship’ writing hours before you commit to a full novel.

Cultivate a habit of writing, editing, writing, and then…. letting go! Writers are often fearful of letting go of their work, afraid of the criticism or perceived failure. This is where short stories matter. You can invest a small amount of effort, submit it, and be like Elsa and let it go. We have to learn to write, let go, and start something new while we’re waiting for feedback.

Learn to write to deadline. Short stories can be written in a day, or a week. Then… it’s done! Submit it, and move on.

Ask for feedback. Truth? Few people will willingly and joyfully read your full novel manuscript and give you helpful feedback. You’re more likely to find short story readers who can finish by the time they’ve swilled their coffee.

You might actually win a competition! Not only is this is a fantastic feeling of recognition and affirmation, these wins or placings build your writer’s CV.

Join me for the Summer of Short Stories!

We’ll read stories, write stories, and practice offering and receiving feedback in a structured, helpful way. By the end of the four weeks, you’ll have three short stories ready to submit… or as I like to call it, throw spaghetti at the wall! You never know what will stick.

Reposted from 18th November, 2015 … but still seems relevant 🙂

Consider this post both a gentle, supportive hug, and also a loving butt kick. I’ve had too many conversations in the past month with beautiful, talented, creative women that go something like this:

“Yeah, I’d love to write a book but I don’t want to do it and have it be bad.”
“I don’t want to write a book and have people criticise it.”
“I’d love to write a book but I know it’s so hard to get anything published [and therefore why would I bother].”
“I really want to write a book but I know hardly anyone makes money out of it and I need to be able to support myself… I can’t give up my day job.”

Look, to be blunt, none of this is new. All of this has been said before, by me and every other person with a creative wish. As Elizabeth Gilbert says, “your fears are boring”. (Ouch! Hurts just a bit, doesn’t it?)

People get so messed up in their heads thinking about the outcome of their creative project that they fail to even start it.

And in my experience, what happens to your book after it is finished is largely out of your hands. You have very little control over it after it leaves your laptop and flies off into the world.

Maybe it will sell, maybe it won’t. Maybe it will start a revolution across the world, or maybe it will change a single person’s life and help them through a difficult time. Maybe it will make you really rich, or maybe it will pay a phone bill, or maybe you’ll end up in debt.

Like bringing a child into the world, there is only so much you can do to protect, shepherd and guide her where you want her to go. She has her own journey.

Is this poking at your deepest fears? Can you feel your stomach knotting and your breathing constrict?

Here is something terrifying.

That fear never goes away.

I emailed my lovely fairy godmother, Monica McInerney, not long after getting my contract for The Tea Chest and The Chocolate Promise and asked her how to deal with the paralysing fear that was stopping me writing. She laughed (lovingly) and told me it wouldn’t ever go away and she was going through it right then too, on her tenth novel.

Julia Cameron, master of living a creative life (and famed author of The Artist’s Way) confesses in her book, The Creative Life, that as time goes on, the mind’s tricks, which it plays to stop us from writing, only get trickier.

Please, beautiful people with creative dreams, don’t be a slave to the ego’s fear.

You are stronger than that. You are wiser.

Name it, if you like. (My creative monster, my ever present fear, is called Maureen. Julia Cameron’s is called Nigel.) It is like an unwanted relative. You can’t get rid of it. It will always be at the table, eating your food.

Give it a job if you like. Many years ago, I listened to my saboteur tell me that everything I wrote was crap, turned to the corner of the room and said, ‘Really? Thanks for that feedback. Now go do something useful and find me a book contract.’ (Well… I got a contract!)

But please, write.

Please write.

Write.

Write for the sake of writing. Write because you want to. Write because in this hour, this day, that is what your soul calls you do to. Write because you love it. Write because you have something to say.

What happens to it after that?

It’s irrelevant. The important thing is that you wrote.

Much love,

Jo x