Taking It Personally

I've talked about this before, but one of the biggest traps new writers fall into is taking things too personally.

It starts with rejections. I get rejected all the time. It was really hard not to take them personally to start with...in fact, one of the reasons I started my serious writing career 'late' (in my thirties) was because I took rejections too personally. They hit me where it hurt.

Then, there's reviews. Hard not to take those personally too. We put so much of ourselves into our work that when somebody tells us its no good it feels like they're really saying we are no good.

Most experienced writers will just tell you to 'grow a thick skin'. I have a more productive answer.

Keep all of your acceptances. Keep all of your rejections that have positive comments on them. Keep all of your good reviews.

When you feel that your work sucks, pull out one of those positive comments and re-read it. Trust me, it really does work. And there is nothing wrong with basking in adulation when you can get it.