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Wednesday, September 2, 2015

The positive side of insecurity

Most folks in my social circle have already heard the good news.  My debut novel will be published in Fall of 2016 by Sky Pony Press.  I am obviously over-the-moon.  It's the big one, right?  Dream come true, bucket list kind of stuff.  It's the end goal of this whole thing, so by definition, it should mean I'm no longer insecure, right?  Well, not exactly.

First of all, despite seeing the announcement in print and even seeing that it's already got a goodreads page, I'm not sure it feels real just yet.  I could say that'll come when there's a cover, but I'm guessing I'll need to see the book in print before reality sets in.  Even then, who knows? 

More than that though, I've been thinking about the very concept of insecurity.  There's the definition most of us use: "An uncertain or anxiety about oneself; lack of confidence" which is what we're all dealing with in these monthly posts and support for each other.  It's rooted in a deep sense of not feeling good enough. 

On the other hand, we can twist this a bit.  Another definition of insecurity is "the state of being open to danger or threat; lack of protection." That's scary, sure, but it implies risk and the potential for reward.  It's about action and putting ourselves out there. 


After I got my agent, I did a series of posts about that process and some lessons learned.  I'm going to do something similar now in describing the submission process and beyond.  I've found that throughout this whole journey, the more I knew about what to expect, the less my insecurity crippled me.  The more I felt okay with being open to danger, so to speak.  

For now I say, embrace your insecurity.  

Keep trying to do things that you may not feel confident doing, that involve risk.  

13 comments:

  1. I agree that knowing what might come will lessen the insecurity. Looking forward to those posts. I'm sure they'll help a lot of writers.

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  2. It is always better to know than not know. What we fear hardly turns out to be so. Best of sales. I hope your cover leaves you breathless -- but in a good way. :-)

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  3. Congrats!!! Sky Pony is great (from what I hear). If I don't already follow your blog, I'm going to.

    The sub process is so strange. You want to think the tough part is over since you have the agent, but alas... My debut is coming out next year 2016, but I was with my agent 2 years before sold. Now with my third project in editor hands, I've found my agent gives me more info on subs and we are more collaborative. The process is less mystery and I know more what's going on. Whether that is good or bad, your call!

    Here is my IWSG post. Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. Congratulations and enjoy your success! It will feel real eventually!

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  5. Congratulations! Awesome advice. It has never felt real no matter how much I published. We can only keep bettering ourselves and moving forward. :)

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  6. That's wonderful news about your book! Congratulations! I understand the feeling of "unreality". When my husband and I finally (FINALLY) moved to a locations we'd dreamed about for 11 years, it was the most surreal experience of my life. We've been here for almost a year and, you know what? It STILL feels unreal in so many ways! The most important thing is to just keep going forward.

    I look forward to reading your series about the submission process. You're correct in saying that the more we know what to expect, the less fear can cripple us. Still, a little fear is good for the soul, right? Keeps us on our toes. Yeah, remind me of that in a few months, eh?

    Thanks for stopping by my blog this morning!
    Cheers,
    Jen

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  7. Congratulations! I adore that second definition. it is the one I will cling to going forward. I wish you much success.

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  8. Congratulations, Tricia. The 1st time it felt real to me was when I saw the cover. Holy cow! My name on a book cover! I still get a kick out of each new cover. So enjoy each step of the journey. Celebrate!

    Best wishes,
    Diane IWSG #95

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  9. Good for you! Enjoy every minute of it. And thanks for the second definition, I like that one much better! I look forward to your series on the submission process :-)

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  10. What wonderful news! I wish you great success on these next stages of your journey. *applause*

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  11. Can't get far without taking any risks. Congrats on getting published.

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  12. Tricia,
    First of all congratulations!!! Second, here's to embracing insecurities, one day at a time.
    Anne

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