Jill here. We are smack dab in the middle of summer and the summer writing panels. We hope you are enjoying them. In case you missed it, we're doing Q & A panels each day during the months of June, July, and August. We post one question, each of us will answer it, and then we want you to answer in the comments. This is a great way to get to know each other and learn too.
BUT FIRST!
I have a new book cover to share with you all.
Ta da!
Isn't it beautimus?
I'm so excited about this cover for King's War (book three in The Kinsman Chronicles). The big one is for the paperback version, which will include the three ebook parts: The Reluctant King, A Deliverer Comes, and Warriors of the Veil.
Aren't they beautiful? *sigh* Green is one of my favorite colors. I keep staring at them and imagining I'm being chased through the Nahar Forest by giants . . .
The ebook version of The Reluctant King comes out this September, but the release date on the full paperback is a bit sketchy because I'm still editing.
There is much to edit. :-o
And now, on with the panels!
Do you consider yourself a confident or anxious writer? What makes you that way?
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| Jill Williamson |
I’m anxious. Oh, I start out confident. I get an idea and I run with it. It’s all the big daydream that’s going to be the best book ever. And I start to fall in love with my characters and I think they’re amazing. And I get lost in my storyworld and have a grand time. But slowly, like mold, doubt creeps in. A little worry that I’ve again chosen a book that’s too weird to please my readers. A little fear that I’m ruining my idea. A little doubt that tells me I can't pull this off.
I have to ignore these things, of course, or I’d never get done. But the closer I get to a finished project, I’m pretty much a basket case. I know that this book is THE book to end my career. It won't sell. No one will publish me after this catastrophe. I tell myself, "You really did it this time, Jill. Gosh." *shakes head* *rolls eyes*
But then the book comes out. And people read it. And while there are always some who don’t like it, there are always plenty that do. All that to say, it’s my personality quirks and bad habits that suck me into this dark place of doubt and despair. To use a writing tool, it’s the lie I believe about myself that makes me crazy. I’m working on that lie. And one of these days, the lie is going to die, and then I’ll be a confident writer. But I’m not there yet.
I have to ignore these things, of course, or I’d never get done. But the closer I get to a finished project, I’m pretty much a basket case. I know that this book is THE book to end my career. It won't sell. No one will publish me after this catastrophe. I tell myself, "You really did it this time, Jill. Gosh." *shakes head* *rolls eyes*
But then the book comes out. And people read it. And while there are always some who don’t like it, there are always plenty that do. All that to say, it’s my personality quirks and bad habits that suck me into this dark place of doubt and despair. To use a writing tool, it’s the lie I believe about myself that makes me crazy. I’m working on that lie. And one of these days, the lie is going to die, and then I’ll be a confident writer. But I’m not there yet.
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| Shannon Dittemore |
Sure. Yes. Both. I vacillate between being incredibly confident and ready to share all I know, to trembling whenever I send out a work for critical review. This is not an industry that will wrap you in comfort. You will have fantastic moments filled with words and hot cups of tea and readers as far as the eye can see. And then you will have the quiet, dread-filled moments that you’re almost embarrassed to share. If you know that, you’re better prepared than I was.
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| Stephanie Morrill |
I have my moments of confidence, but I’m mostly anxious. During release week, I’m a nervous wreck. Every time I get a text from my agent or editor asking to talk, my thoughts jump to, “What bad thing has happened?” And I’m getting better about it, but I have a hard time talking about my stories or being an author in my everyday life.
The King's War cover looks wonderful! Also, I'm noticing a common thread in everyone's answers . . . is there such a thing, then, as a purely confident writer?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sarah. And . . . I'm thinking not. LOL
DeleteI'd say I'm both. But I try not to focus on what people will think and I focus on what I think. I want to write something that I can be proud of.
ReplyDeleteGood advice. We can't please everybody anyway.
Delete-Ann
Good goals, Ivie. :-)
DeleteThank you, Mrs. Williamson. :)
DeleteI pretend confidence well, sending out my work, weighing criticism objectively, exuding a can-do attitude when someone points out an area that needs a fix.
ReplyDeleteInside, I'm a quivering mess of doubts. What if I have a gaping plot hole I can never fill? What if my voice is stiff and can never change? What if I never express myself well enough?
For me, anxiety is an emotion I can't necessarily control, but I can combat by choosing not to buckle beneath its influence. And the more I act with confidence, anxiety has that much less room to stick around.
-Ann
Fake it til you make it. Sometimes that's what we have to do. Anxiety is hard to control. I dealt with anxiety a while back. It had nothing to with writing and everything to do with life. It was hard, but God got me through it. Anxiety now compared to back then is minimal. God has plans for our writing. :)
DeleteThat's very wise, Ann. Reminding yourself continually of the truth is helpful. The truth will set you free . . . if you can learn to believe it. Ha ha.
DeleteSo true, Ivie. Life can really affect your writing (affect everything, really). I long to be one of those people who remain calm and steadfast no matter what trouble comes my way, but man! It's already taken me many years of practice and I'm still not much better at it...
Delete@ Jill Williamson: Oh, I'm terrible when stress comes my way in life. I don't do well under pressure, but I'm trying to get better at it. Remaining calm is extremely difficult. I just try to turn to God for help. :)
Delete@Ivie: Thank you for sharing. It's so important that we remind ourselves God has plans for us. And He equips us with what we need in order to fulfill those plans. If only I could trust that truth even when its hard, I'd be all right. :)
Delete-Ann
@Ms. Williamson: You're so right. It's so much easier to believe those lies that pester their way in. Believing the truth is something I have to work on. Thank you!
Delete-Ann
Those are lovely covers by the way, Ms. Williamson! I'm very particular with green. Some shades are just meh, but all those colors are beautiful.
ReplyDelete-Ann
Thank you, Ann! They are pretty. :-)
DeleteThe covers are beautiful!!!!
ReplyDeleteI would definitely consider myself a confident writer. I'm fairly patient (not getting stressed out about how long the whole process is taking), and I'm not afraid to just self publish myself. I'm not too concerned about others liking my story (as long as I do, I'm fine with that). So I'm really just happily jogging along, caught up in my own daydreams of seeing my books on my shelf.
~Julian
Woo woo!! I literally just found the cover on google a day ago. XP Soo soo pumped for the release!!
ReplyDeleteI am probably most definitely an anxious writer, though I have my moments of confidence too. ;)
~Zoë
The covers are awesome! Definitely going to read it.
ReplyDeleteI tend to lean towards the "anxious writer" the deeper I get into the story. I'll start out, like, really excited about it, and then after I get past, twenty-ish pages, I start getting I get my own ideas confused and then I get really concerned about the story and I end up leaving the story alone for a little bit because I don't know what to do and I don't want to mess it up. But there are times when I spend close to three months writing and it's really really good. Those are good confidence boosters.
I am definitely an anxious writer. When I have an idea, I get super excited and write the first chapter. Then, I begin to wonder if I can even write a full novel out of the idea, or even if I should. I am extremely nervous to show my writing to anyone, which is something I need to overcome. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I love the covers! :)
Everyone gets those doubts. I've been writing my novel for three years and still get the doubts. Don't worry. I totally understand the feeling of not wanting anyone to see. I freak out. I'm trying to get better at. Don't force yourself and remember that you've got this. :)
DeleteGod bless you!
iviewrites.blogspot.com
I would say I'm a confident writer; however, it is important for me to separate confidence from arrogance. Sometimes I have perfectly normal confidence, thinking that my ideas are good and I can pull them off with some work. At other times I believe without a doubt that I can pull off something that I ought to approach with more realistic views, though thankfully I don't do that too often anymore. It's a tempting state of mind to adopt, but believing that one's skills can do far more than they actually can really doesn't help at all. Moreover, it has set me up for disappointment on multiple occasions, when I believed I could do something with a puffed-up idea of my abilities and then proceeded not to do it at all the way I envisioned. That said, I have doubts like everyone else at times, too, but somehow I manage to push them away quite quickly every time they crop up. I don't even know how.
ReplyDelete