I almost forgot to write a post today you guys! I am going to do a really quick post… and today I'm giving my two cents on overthinking.
First of all, it happens to us all. I think that it happens when we're writing out manuscripts and it happens even more when we're past that point. Especially during the beta reader portion and the querying portion. For those of you who self published, I'm sure it happens once you push publish too!
I think every one of my posts covers some level of second guessing, self doubt or overthinking but today, experienced I it on a whole new level.
I worked on tightening my query. But as I was writing, and re-writing there was a moment in the middle where I thought, how am I ever going to get there? Is it even possible to boil my epic romance down to less than 300 words? The answer is probably yes. I haven't quite gotten there yet, but I'm happy with the progress I've made.
So how do you do it and avoid the overthinking? I don't know, but what I did... I just did it. I wrote it, and edit it, then walked away and watched Top Chef and then came back. I tried not to overthink it. I found a format that seemed right for me and I followed it. So my advice? If research or comments don't feel helpful, don't use them. Basically, you're the one doing this, so do whatever feels organic and natural for you.
Today I wrote a query (or edited a previously drafted query) and then I made the decision to put my really rough letter out there in the world. I let some amazing ladies look at it and tried not to overthink their responses. Most of them were so helpful and gave me great feedback on my letter and it has gotten so much stronger because I took them for what they were and applied them in a way that made sense to me.
Honestly, there was some things I had a hard time not overthinking. For example, I felt like if I heard one more time than my query needed to be shorter I was going to lose my mind. I know a query is supposed to be around 300 words, and I'm almost there, but I also think it's better to have a really strong letter than compromise what feels important to me to lose 25-30 words. In the end, I may be wrong, but at least I did it my way and I am trying to give myself the grace to fail or succeed based on something I feel proud of. I'm writing this post today mostly as a way to remind myself:
(Side note--Anyone else love this show (and this swoony guy? 🙋🙋)
So, because my brain feels too full to write anymore, that's my two cents on overthinking! Just try not to do it... if you need to, walk away and come back later… sometimes distance can be the most appropriate path to success…
Have a good night, Lovies!!!
-Rose Rayne Rivers
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