It’s time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post, and an opportunity to write about something opportune.

On Sunday evening, I finally submitted my police procedural, Fevered Fuse, to London-based publisher Joffe Books. After researching the best independent publishers for crime fiction, Joffe Books was my first choice. I should hear back from them within three months. While waiting for the publisher to answer, I’ll rewrite ‘Fates Maelstrom’, the second book in my Snowdon Shadows Mysteries, and write more episodes of my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights.

Slava Ukraini

Heroiam slava!

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Every month, IWSG announces a question that members can answer in their IWSG posts. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional!

May 7 question – Some common fears writers share are rejection, failure, success, and lack of talent or ability. What are your greatest fears as a writer? How do you manage them?

Since my late teens, submitting a manuscript has triggered my fear of rejection. I can’t remember the exact short story, but I wrote many fantasy stories in my teens. However, I do remember my first rejection was for one I submitted to a fantasy magazine whose name I have conveniently forgotten. All I know is that I was discouraged from submitting any fiction for decades. But I couldn’t stop writing and even edited a magazine called Mind Sphere for a bilingual SF & fantasy society I helped create in Montreal, Canada.

My first paid editing job for The Field magazine led to my first published fiction articles, and eventually, my factual writing was published hundreds of times over the next thirty-five years. But my fear of rejection for fiction writing hovered in the background.

When I finally finished a novel I believed in – not my first or even third attempt – I submitted it, despite fearing another rejection… and encouraged by my wife, Juanita. However, Spectacle Publishing accepted Spiral Of Hooves and my debut novel was published in 2013. Except another fear emerged: the fear of failure.

Although Spiral Of Hooves sold a few copies and had predominantly excellent reviews, I believed I had failed. I’d written a sequel but shelved it and worked on other stories, unwilling to resign myself to accepting I lacked talent.

Or was that my problem?

I submitted some shorts, willing at last to accept a few rejections. IWSG threw me a lifeline, and in 2019, my WWII historical fantasy short story Feathered Fire was accepted for the 2020 IWSG Anthology Voyagers: The Third Ghost. The encouragement from the published short and fellow authors has helped me have faith in my writing. It’s also led to my ongoing Ukraine episodic story, Freedom Flights.

On one level, I manage my fears through my writing, although if I look at the growing pile of unpublished shorts and novels, I still question my talent.

Submitting Fevered Fuse feels like a test. Am I prepared for rejection? Or does another publishing opportunity bring the risk of not promoting the book enough? How do I promote a book when I’m housebound? I must do more than print a few T-shirts like the Spiral Of Hooves one I’m wearing today.

Perhaps I only need to be online in the present digital age… not housebound but cloud-borne.

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I’ve just read this interesting blog piece by Pauline Rowson, the best-selling author of many crime novels, published by Joffe Books: https://www.rowmark.co.uk/article/the-emotional-stages-of-writing-a-novel/  

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The awesome co-hosts for the May 7 posting of the IWSG are Feather Stone, Janet Alcorn, Rebecca Douglass, Jemima Pett, and Pat Garcia!

Finally, don’t forget to visit more active writers via the IWSG site:

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG, and our hashtag is #IWSG.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!