multicultural
does not describe me fully
it is where to start



Sunday, December 4, 2011

Nerve Wracking


So my novel’s manuscript has gone out to my readers. Second guessing is now in full force. They will hate it! How embarrassing. What was I thinking? Such is my internal chatter.

Okay, so I am sure they will find glimpses of good writing. They might even think it well written. But, they might not. And, as I wait, there is little I can do. The book has been sent out. It is no longer under my protection. It has been exposed to the cold light of day. Can I handle it?

Have you ever felt this way?

5 comments:

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Judy - yes you can .. all process is a learning one - you'll be fine ... breathe and relax! Accept - but enjoy - congratulations on finishing and getting your manuscript out to be read .. good luck and all will be well - Hilary

Judy Croome | @judy_croome said...

Yes. Always. Every time I send out a short story or a full length one to me first draft readers, I get the jitters. And, in the end, I find that teh comments are usualy not as good as I hope (this is a Booker prize winner!) but not as bad as I expected (burn it! it's awful!) Usually the comments are somewhere in-between and help make the end text a richer story!
Judy, South Africa

A Cuban In London said...

I can sympathise with you and try to understand how you feel, but I've never been in that situation, from a writer's point of view. But as an artist (and a writer is an artist, in my opinion) I have been overwhelmed by a similar sentiment. What was I thinking? Can I get away with it? What if they don't like the way I perform, or dance, or recite my or other people' s poems?

Here's wishing loads of luck.

Greetings from London.

Elizabeth Mahlou said...

Yep, with every book. There is sort of an after-the-fact letdown. I usually remedy it by immediately starting my next book -- and then take a break, once my mind has focused forward, not backward.

Wishing you a blessed Advent season!

Judith Mercado said...

Hilary, breathe and relax, that's good advice.

Judy, yes, I cover the same range of possible reactions. I know whatever comes will be helpful.

Cuban, an artist is an artist, with the same vulnerabilities, whether the medium is physical movement or the written word. Each artistic expression is an extension of one's intimate self.

Elizabeth, I'm focusing now on all the projects that did not get done while I was working on the novel. If I run out of projects, I have a short story I've been thinking I want to write.

All of you, thank you for your encouragement.