So, you’re a relatively new writer, like myself. You’re halfway through your first book and you come up for air. You think it’s time you find out what publishing is all about. The first article you read stops you cold. It says you need to start the process of self-promotion: getting your name out there. Becoming recognizable in the world of the written word. Join the club.

The revelation that you cannot just simply crank out page after page, but actually have to turn to the social media machine that you have been avoiding (because it potentially could suck up all of your writing time) hits you like a ton of bricks. The fact that you only feel comfortable with reading your emails and using your word processing program only compounds the panic that wells up inside you.

You reread the article. You read a few more, hoping against hope that you have misunderstood. But, nope. The message is loud and clear. What to do, now?

You could run, bury your head in the sand, pack it up, give up the dream. But, do you really want to do that? Could you even do that? I mean, fight the compulsion to sit in front of your computer, daily, and let your fingers walk you into that “other world” you create in your mind? That other world that beacons to you, each day? That world that offers you solace, a creative outlet, challenges you to look deep within, inspires you to become more than you ever thought possible?

I didn’t think so. Me neither.

So, you attack the overwhelming task ahead: marketing yourself. Building a platform. Putting your ego aside. Inviting criticism through your door. Fighting your insecurities. Finding a voice. Calming those fears of rejection and perhaps being misunderstood at times. And, braving the world of the technologically-challenged.

But, not for long. Because you’ll wake up one day in the not-too-distant future and put your name into your computer’s search bar and it will pop up. You’ll get a few emails that give notice that you’ve acquired some followers—some, even, in other countries! You’ll read positive comments to your posts. You’ll get encouragement from friends and family.

Your dream—you know, the one that’s been sitting inside you, germinating for a few decades—is coming to fruition. You are suddenly on the brink of a whole new life, filled with endless possibilities.

All because you dare to write. To challenge yourself. To share all of who you are with anyone viewing your website—anyone who is curious to learn what you’ve got going. What you bring to the table that no one else does in quite the same way.

We’re writers—and life doesn’t get any better than that!

Brenda

Please visit my other blogs at spiritualsnippets.com and 5scribesandtheirstories.com