Shy about your writing projects? Don’t be.

BOAST ABOUT IT AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE!

I wrote for years and kept it a secret. I thought to myself, My work isn’t good enough to share. I have to perfect every detail before I reveal anything.

You may feel this way too. People might think your writing is lame, they might not like it. As soon as you tell people you write they’ll think, Oh gosh, another delusional writer, I bet they can’t see how terrible their work is (kinda like those really really bad singers on American Idol that think they’re great).

Alternatively, people might start hounding you to produce stories and get them published and you don’t want to create any false expectations.

If you just agreed with any of that, SLAP YOURSELF IN THE FACE!

Shame on you! Shame on me! I used to think all those things and where did that get me? It got me stuck in a cycle of perfecting one thing for a year and a half (my novel, which I admit I’m still working on). You know what else I wrote in that year and a half?

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

It wasn’t until I started telling people that I was working on a novel that I started writing more. You know why?

Because suddenly I felt accountable not to my friends or co-workers, but I felt accountable to MYSELF! I thought, Now that I’m telling people I’m writing, I better write! 

And you know what else I discovered?

All those fears I had were completely false. When I told someone I wrote, they encouraged me. They were excited to see my work. They didn’t have any unrealistic expectations.

I WAS THE ONE WITH UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS.

So what’s happened since then? It’s been another year and a half since I told anyone I was working on a novel and guess what?

• I’ve joined a writing meet-up.
• I’ve written 3 dozen short stories and flash fiction pieces.
  • Note: While not all of these are stellar pieces, they’ve helped me improve my writing tenfold!
• I’ve been published 3 times
• I’m 1,000,000 times more confident in my writing now

DON’T BE SHY!

Think about the reasons why you’re shy about your writing. Now look to one of your writing heroes and ask yourself, “Are they shy about their work?” Probably not and they likely started in the same boat as you.

If you boast about your writing, you’ll feel much better about. I guarantee it!

Yes, I still feel a little awkward telling everyone I’m working on a novel, or posting my publications to my friends on Facebook. But since I’ve started doing so, I’ve gained a lot more confidence and passion for writing and I encourage you to do the same.

As always, happy writing!

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