Writers tend to burrow into negativity and fear. I see and hear both displayed every day.

1. “I’m no good. I keep getting rejected.”
2. “Why is she getting published, and I’m not?”
3. “AI is horrible. It’s ruining our business.”
4. “I don’t want to learn how to use a new program.”
5. “I want to be traditionally published, so they can do the editing and promoting.”
6. “How am I supposed to deal with crappy ratings?”
7. “I have to write every day?”

Writers, like people in any other field, tend to repeat what they hear without researching if the information is true or not. Why? Because what they’re hearing falls into what they’re already thinking. Consequently, they create their own self-destruction, spiraling down into more fear or negativity. No wonder they feel

1.Rejections are a normal part of the process. They’re never personal. Maybe your writing does need improvement, but the odds are, your book wasn’t a good fit for them. It’s like shopping for clothes. How many do you try on before you find the one that’s the best style and fit?

Their goal is to buy the best book possible—the one they know their readers want. They get tens of thousands submissions to choose from.

2. She got published and you didn’t because she was in the right place, with the right material, at the right time. It’s happened to me twice. It’s happened to other writers who say the same thing. A lot of it is plain luck where preparedness meets opportunity.

3. AI isn’t horrible. It’s a tool. Just like computers (an AI device) took over typewriters. Like the automobile (another AI device) did for the horse and buggy. They’re all different degrees of AI. It’s a tool that can’t write anything without human intervention. 1) It’s not creative, 2) it spits out only that which you feed it, and 3) it doesn’t have a voice; it’s dry and technical.

That said, AI is great for brainstorming ideas, for creating promotion blurbs, creating graphics, or coming up with title ideas, finding mistakes.

4. In not wanting to learn, you’re telling agents, editors, and publishers that you’re not open to criticism, making changes, or wanting to improve. Lean into the learning of what editors really do, the process of books getting published, as an agent, various tools, untried social media, more of the craft of writing especially in other genres, and so forth. Be open to change.

5. In today’s market, unless you’re a big name, you’ll be promoting your own work regardless if the book is traditionally or indie published.

6. Agents, editors, and publishers want polished material. Grow your editing and formatting skills.

7. A bad review isn’t personal. Any review is really about the reviewer, not you. It’s a peek into their likes, dislikes, temperament, and preferences. It’s an opinion, and we all have them. Aren’t there books you don’t like?

8. Read about writers, how they began, how long it took to become published, their writing habits. Follow their examples.

Becca Syme, author and owner/coach of the Better-Faster Academy, said in a newsletter, which tapped into a keystone truth of mine, “Fear is meant to move you, not stop you.”

I would add that negativity always spirals downward. Avoid being negative. Whatever you tell yourself or think, your subconscious believes. It doesn’t know the difference between what is real and not real.

As I look back over my long career of writing, I’ve had a lot of unknowns, barriers I had to cross and overcome, lots of failures, of rejections, of not making the cuts I had to cross and overcome, lots of failures, of rejections, of not making the cut.

I learned to work through the failures, to consult with those who had more knowledge, more experience. I read the magazines, the blogs, and the books. I asked for tips on how to succeed and then applied them, even if I disagreed with them at the time. In doing the work, I found they were usually right.

Be willing to fail, to be rejected. Keep submitting anyway.

Welcome the critiques, to hear what others think is wrong. It’s the quickest and best way to improve. MFA classes are critique workshops from your peers. You don’t get to get angry and cut them out of your life; you learn to ignore their opinion. However, if two or more are saying the same thing, pay attention!

Be original, which is guaranteed to attract naysayers.

Stop comparing yourself to other writers. You’re comparing apples to oranges. Always.

Every successful writer has failed along the way. All of them.

Success is built on failure.

Success is built on practicing. Every. Day.

Every successful writer was once a beginner, wading into the unknown, and learning how.

Every successful writer was at one time unknown.

Confront your fear. Smash it, tame it, remove it, or simply go over it.

Live for the journey.

That’s how you overcome the fear and leave the negativity behind.

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Join my two-week master class, Finding Your Writing Fire & Keeping It Hot June 9-20, 2025.Limited to 25, it’s a class that will show you how to get the flow going again, how to rekindle the passion you felt when you began the project, how to get unstuck, where to find accountability, how the Universal Laws can help or hinder, and more.Built on lessons from my, Finding Your Fire & Keeping it Hot book, this class focuses on your writing and brings the joy of writing back into your life again.

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