"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing...Only I will remain."

When I started this blog I told myself I wanted to document my whole writing process. Start to finish. Concept to publishing. Ups and downs. So, in that spirit, it’s time to be honest about where I’m at with “The Stars Were Right”:

I’m scared.

I’m scared it’s full of mistakes. I’m scared it’s not going to be good. I’m scared people are going to hate it. I’m scared my prose sucks. I’m scared that I am going to fail.

I spent this weekend thinking about this a lot. That’s a lot of fear, but nothing I listed is a good enough reasons for me not to publish. The risk is there, but in the long run it’s really inconsequential. You know what I will do if “The Stars Were Right” bombs? I’ll press on. I’ll keep writing.

Life is a learning process. Failure and success are a part of learning. It’s a part of everything, even the things we care so much about and pour so much of ourselves into. The thing is though, you can’t fail or succeed unless you try.

It’s time to try.

Big announcement tomorrow.

18 Comments

  1. This is such a life lesson for me today. I’ve felt like I’m in that very same space, like it’s time to “walk the walk”, you know? And since I’ve actually read The Stars Were Right, I know how good it is! If a brilliant writer like yourself can admit to being scared, then I can admit to it too. Thank you so much for this, I REALLY needed to hear it today.

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    1. I think it’s always a struggle with any creative. Writers. Artists. Musicians. Anyone doing anything creative always worries about how the rest of the world will receive their work. The real battle is pressing past that and overcoming those fears.

      Also… glad I could help. :)

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  2. Good of you to share everything instead of just highlighting the good stuff. Good on you for taking the plunge in spite of natural fears.

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    1. Thanks! The more I keep mulling it over and over in my own head the more
      I realize most of my fears aren’t justified. I figured sharing that with others can’t be a bad thing. We all struggle with it.

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  5. You ought ta be scared ’bout a sucker punch to the kidneys by a creepy short dude in a panda suit… because that’s what your tomorrow is going to be like if I’m not reading this book by then.

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  6. Creating is terrifying. It makes you incredibly vulnerable to the rest of the world, for real. But if you believe in the purpose of your writing, everything will work itself out. I know you have the conviction to be great at it!

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    1. I don’t think I could say it better. You’re right Marc, “Creating is terrifying.” I think one of the biggest hurdles any creative struggles with is realizing that fears like the ones I have listed are, at their core, irrational. As I said to Lauren earlier, the real battle is overcoming those fears.

      Thanks for the kind words. :)

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  7. this pleases me greatly, because yes – you just gotta go for it. I’m excited about the announcement and also I’d think you’re really off base if you weren’t scared

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  8. Take the worse that could happen. No one likes your material. You have not reached the right people. Take the best that can happen everyone loves your stuff. Now figure the midroad. What do you have to lose, absolutely nothing.

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    1. You’re right. I have nothing to lose and there is no reason to not try. My irrational fear aside, I’m actually getting eager to seeing how “The Stars Were Right” is received. Thanks for your comment. :)

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  9. When I read your title, I thought, “KM Alexander cannot be scared!” By being honest you really help out the rest of us. We don’t feel isolated.

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