Insecurity as part of life

I am close to the end of Prodigies, so close that I can see -- the headlights of an oncoming train.

That's how writing feels like if you're insecure -- the feeling that you're going to finish the work only to find it a piece of crap. And realizing you're the least objective person reading your work, but still accepting your own judgment that it's a piece of crap. That's what insecurity is -- the lurking voice that whispers "you're not good enough, you'll never get published, nobody cares about what you write."

I'm insecure. Isn't every writer? Isn't every creative person out there?

What do I do about it?

At this point, it's hard, because many of my creative friends say, "Hey, I did a thing! Look at this thing I did!" and post it on Instagram or Facebook. I think that's why I have a blog here, but I get comments very few and very far between, so I don't have the response of "Hey, what a cool thing you did!" Come to think of it, my friends who say "Hey, I did a thing!" don't get responses on Facebook or Instagram either, and they have more friends than I do.  I should comment more on their things they did. Maybe it'll come back to me.

My beta readers (two of them; the third hasn't gotten back to me) have been complimentary of my work even through pointing out some necessary changes. I actually feel less insecure when people point out errors and problems becausef they care enough to read and it’s only in the worst writings that someone can’t make constructive comments.

Insecure people seek out reassurance, and sometimes it has the opposite effect if they ask for too much. “Look at this thing I did!” seems more positive and effective than wailing “I’ll never be published”. I’ve done both.

I can own it, my entree into the world of creatives — I’m insecure.