It's Time to Stop Being Afraid

Whether you've always wanted to write your book but just can't work up the courage and motivation to do it, or you've written a book (or several) but struggle to market it, welcome to the scaredy cat club. 

This year, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and a lot of trying new things when it comes to my books. 

The biggest thing that has always gotten in my way, of course, is me. I was always afraid of what might be waiting for me if I simply put myself out there. I was afraid of what would happen if I tried… and the thing I created wasn’t perfect. 

I am quite fond of thinking deeply about the human condition; pondering the things that make us who we are. Our longing for connection, for recognition, for meaning. It’s one of my favorite things to think about, honestly. I may have mentioned once or twice on this blog that I am also quite a fan of horror. One thing that I’ve always adored about immersing myself in horror stories and movies is being able to pick things apart and understand why we are afraid. 

Well, for as long as I can remember, I have been equal parts motivated and terrified to achieve more with my writing. I feared not being good enough. I feared writing the same dang thing that someone else out there has already written. I feared doing it wrong. I feared rejection. I even feared what being successful as a writer might change about the way my family perceived me. 

Over time, I started to realize something: It’s perfectly okay to be afraid of something. The fear, truly, is what makes doing the thing so absolutely exhilarating. That’s why people skydive, isn’t it? The big thing I needed to change in the way I looked at everything I wanted for myself is this: It doesn’t matter if you fail or succeed, as long as you learn something, you apply what you’ve learned to make yourself better, and you keep going. Toward the thing that you want.

It’s okay if people don’t like your stuff. It’s okay if someone says no to you. The important thing is that you’ll never know unless you try. 

I released Bound at the very end of September 2024. I was terrified. I had done a lot of things differently with this book, and I found myself equally excited and worried about releasing it. Little did I know that releasing that book would set me on the path I had wanted to be on all along, but was so petrified to set foot on.

I started asking bookstores if I could do book signings with them. I started regularly posting on social media… something that still scares me like crazy. This year, I set some goals. I’ll share more about these goals as we get a little bit closer to the end of the year, but two big goals I made were to publish 4 books in one year, and to do at least one author event every month. 

Setting those goals was the first step I took into something wonderful that would snowball and gain momentum throughout the year. 

Like I said, I’ll share more details when I do my end of year wrap-up post, but really, the message I wanted to share with you today is you can do it. 

Whatever dream you’ve had up on the shelf, the one you look at longingly but think, “That could never happen for me…” I dare you to take it down, dust it off, and give it a whirl. You never know what might happen. And I implore you, please, whatever the outcome, learn from it, make yourself better, and keep going.​