by Tiffany S. Doran

What is a writer, anyway? We’re a rare breed, sharing stories straight out of our imaginations and having the guts to put our thoughts on paper and share them with the world, not knowing whether people will like them or not. We are the up-all-nighters and the early risers; excited, yet sometimes scared to submit what we have written for fear of rejection or harsh criticism. But we do it anyway. The stories within us have to be told, and any true writer knows this. There is no “just walking away” from it. It’s the fire and passion we have for the craft that drives our every keystroke.

If you read Books & Buzz Magazine‘s feature article about me, you’ll know that there’s always been a writer within me. Fear held me back a lot—hell, fear holds me back even now. Mostly I’m scared of things I’ve manufactured in my own mind that will probably never happen, but the fear still lingers there, glaring at me every day. Rejection is and always has been my biggest fear. Keeping that in mind, I have gone over my first novel, Desires of the Heart, to an almost sickening degree. Every period, comma, sentence. Repeatedly. I’ve written over a dozen queries, and submitted to just as many publishing houses, and received all rejections. Does that mean what I wrote is garbage? Absolutely not, and please don’t think that of your work either. It’s just not the right time or not the right publishing house for your story.

Even though the journey of writing is long, it’s also rewarding, and it can carry your legacy far and wide.

It’s part of the business, and every fabulous published author, I’m sure, has some rejection stories to tell. It’s not always easy to secure a literary agent or get on with a traditional publisher, but all it takes is one person from one publishing house to believe in you, and believe in your writing, to turn you into a traditionally published author. If you are self-publishing, then the same hard work goes into it, but in the form of lots of research, because for every good person out there who genuinely wants to help you, there are dozens more who want to swindle you. Still, you must believe in yourself and in your worth as a writer.

It is so easy to get down on yourself and want to throw your hands up. Trust me, I have been there. But the first step is knowing your worth. Know the value you hold within yourself that you are offering to other people every time you sit at your laptop to write, whether it be fiction, non-fiction, self-help, or anything else. You are offering a piece of yourself to everyone. You hold value as a writer no matter what it is you write. You are valuable. Repeat that. Every day, wake up wanting and being willing to better your craft. Don’t let fear of rejection or fear of criticism stop you from walking down the path you want to be on—I haven’t. The journey of writing is a long one. But it is also a rewarding one, and one that can carry your legacy far and wide.

Tiffany S. Doran is the author of soon-to-be-published Desires of the Heart. She’s a Tier IV Rising Star Author at ChapterBuzz, where you can see what she’s currently working on. You can also pick up copies of Tiffany’s published books on Amazon, and connect with her on her blog.