Am I good enough? Isn’t that the real and only question that matters? Is it arrogance that has me posting my short stories and thinking maybe, just maybe, I can? Can I write that phrase, sentence, paragraph, or chapter that stays with the reader after the book or tablet is on the night table? Maybe our goal as writers should be more modest. I suspect all you need to do is put a smile on their face. Do that enough times and you have a winner.
Writer wannabees are like wallflowers at that high school dance, full of self-doubt and paralyzed with the fear of rejection. One of the greatest barriers to moving outside your comfort zone is the fear that you’re a poser, that you’re not worthy, that you couldn’t possibly be qualified to do whatever you’re aiming to do. It’s a fear that strikes many of us: It’s got a name, impostor syndrome.
I find solace in that many readers, including me, for the most part, a simple lot. Scare me with deadly aliens and I’ll tear through the pages. Give me adventures with the likes of Jack Ryan, Jack Reacher, Stone Barrington, and countless others. Why? Because I can visualize the imaginary dangers but do so from my easy chair sipping a diet root beer. Risk-taking is not something we readers do. We are there to escape our mundane reality and have a bit of fun. The reading should be easy.
𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐊𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐚 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝟕𝐭𝐡-𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝟗. 𝐁𝐮𝐭, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥.
The formula for success in the well-worn tropes of each genre is there for all to research and duplicate. Good conquers evil, love triumphs, and our hero lives to fight another day. I call them dime store novels and they are deliberately an easy read. I read them when I was young, and I still do today. Rarely does my finger hang on a word to get a definition. Any sentence in these books holds no puzzles. The words, metaphors, and allegories are simple and, like old friends, rarely lead you astray.
So, can you do it? You’ll never know if you don’t try. I look forward to reading your best efforts.
Writer wannabees are like wallflowers at that high school dance, full of self-doubt and paralyzed with the fear of rejection. One of the greatest barriers to moving outside your comfort zone is the fear that you’re a poser, that you’re not worthy, that you couldn’t possibly be qualified to do whatever you’re aiming to do. It’s a fear that strikes many of us: It’s got a name, impostor syndrome.
I find solace in that many readers, including me, for the most part, a simple lot. Scare me with deadly aliens and I’ll tear through the pages. Give me adventures with the likes of Jack Ryan, Jack Reacher, Stone Barrington, and countless others. Why? Because I can visualize the imaginary dangers but do so from my easy chair sipping a diet root beer. Risk-taking is not something we readers do. We are there to escape our mundane reality and have a bit of fun. The reading should be easy.
𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐊𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐚 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝟕𝐭𝐡-𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝟗. 𝐁𝐮𝐭, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥.
The formula for success in the well-worn tropes of each genre is there for all to research and duplicate. Good conquers evil, love triumphs, and our hero lives to fight another day. I call them dime store novels and they are deliberately an easy read. I read them when I was young, and I still do today. Rarely does my finger hang on a word to get a definition. Any sentence in these books holds no puzzles. The words, metaphors, and allegories are simple and, like old friends, rarely lead you astray.
So, can you do it? You’ll never know if you don’t try. I look forward to reading your best efforts.
