Letting Fear Stand in your Way

At this point I'm probably sure you know what my biggest passion is. Following your dreams and the importance behind them. One of the biggest reasons people never do is because of fear.

Fear of Failure.
Fear of judgment.
Fear of embarrassment,
and fear of rejection.

It always seems to be underlying every excuse I hear about why someone never jumps for what they want most. I know I do it too. But than I realized something. I'm more afraid of living my life in mediocrity, scrapping just to get by like some grubby ally cat, than I am of anything that might happen to me, in my pursuit to climbing that ladder to the stars. (Even though I'm afraid of heights.)

Psychologically speaking there's always other reasons of self worth that might make you think you don't deserve success, but that's deviating off topic and there's a book for that by Maxwell Maltz called, The New Psycho-Cybernetics. It's all about the importance of self image on your life as a whole.

Anyways, back on the topic of fear. I've overcome a few fears in the recent months, but there's one that's still nagging at me. Like some little kid continuously pulling at my shirt saying, "ma, ma, ma mom, ma."

I want my book published more than anything, but I need a foundation, so I want to publish in magazines and such. I'm afraid because I don't know what I'm doing. Where to look, what to look for, what's fair, what's ripping me off. So, if you know anything about this, please leave a comment.  

Comments

  1. Melissa, look into the Writer's Guide and Writer's Market. These two publications have loads of valuable info. Look for local writing groups (the local library is a good place to start) and at state competitions. Know what your target audience is. Expect rejections. I know a trustworthy editor as well.

    And take the leap, you never know what could happen.

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    1. Thanks. I have writers market 2013, but whenever I read about freelance writing it makes my head spin. I really need to think about what kinds of things I want to publish I suppose.

      Who's the editor? I may just look into them when I have something solid I want to send into the published world.

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  2. I think you are right to start with magazines and journals because it will help you get your name out there and get noticed, which will help you when you try to pitch your book to agents/publishers.

    My advice is to look into local magazines and literary journals first. There are an amazing number of them out there, and it's a great way to start out. Don't shoot for the biggest, most popular one at first. Try something smaller and more local. Once you get published, you'll get a sense of what it's like and can move into bigger markets.

    Writers Market lists circulations, if I remember correctly, and you can also find this info online. It'll help you get a sense of how large a publication is and whether it's a "major player" or a smaller one. Get some copies of ones you're thinking of and read them to see what they typically publish.

    Most places will accept submissions without a fee (except for some contests). Don't pay for your submissions. If you aren't doing that, you aren't wasting any money and don't have to worry about rip-offs or fakes.

    Online journals and magazines are also a great way to start and get some experience.

    Don't be afraid to try -- the worst that can happen is you'll get a "no"! Good luck!

    http://writingcultures.blogspot.com/

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