Sometimes amateur writers get hung up on concerns when their worries really aren’t warranted and never end up taking the big plunge into writing. Some writers worry about their craft and the writing process while others worry about the business side of things. Whether its in my writing circles or in online groups, I see novice writers fretting about these seven things constantly, even though they’re not topics that new writers should be concerned with. These seven things hold many aspiring writers back, but once you learn to let these worries go and just write, your craft and career will come much easier.

Idea stealing

First and foremost, this is the single biggest concern most new writers have, especially when it comes to releasing their writing to online social media platforms or self-publishing.

Here’s the thing—ideas are a dime a dozen and when it comes down to the value of an idea versus the value of writing, it is always dependent on the execution of said idea. Most ideas, when it comes to pitching or marketing, are remarkably similar. However, it’s the writing that sets you apart from everyone else. Your worldview and experiences are going to shape the way you tell the story and execute the idea, and that alone is going to make your story vastly different than mine or another writer’s.

While there are some unscrupulous individuals out there, that is a very, very small minority compared to the rest of the creatives in the writing community. If you do encounter someone who is stealing your ideas there are two likely outcomes: 1) the thief likely won’t finish/see the idea through or 2) the thief won’t execute the idea as effectively as you will. If you do have a brilliant idea and any decent writing skill, you shouldn’t worry about hack writers stealing your ideas because the odds are more in your favor—that whatever you write will likely always be better than the writing of the person who is stealing your ideas.

Just a side note: your work is protected by U.S. Copyright law from the very moment you write it down. You can’t copyright ideas, but the expression and execution of these ideas are your intellectual property and they are protected.

Of course, this doesn’t excuse straight plagiarism. Nothing ever can excuse that level of creative theft. If another writer is stealing your words, they should be contacted and asked to remove the plagiarized work from their platforms and if they don’t comply, legal action should be taken. Copyright infringement is a serious offense and should not be taken lightly.  You can help keep the writing community free of plagiarism by reporting any instances of this that you see to the U.S. Copyright Office. You can also learn more about your rights as a creator here.

I could go on and on about this topic but TL:DR: idea stealing isn’t a real issue that novice writer should be too concerned about. If you’re really worried, just stay on the safe side and be careful who you share your work with. I wouldn’t post your entire manuscript online for the entire public to read with abandon but do your research and know that you can share your work with others. Critique partners and mentors are amazing for this purpose exactly. And remember, even if they steal the core premise, their delivery will be vastly different from your own. No two stories are the exact same, especially when writers have different experiences and worldviews.

Being original

This is another concern of novice writers—that they want their writing to be original. If you’ve heard the saying “There’s nothing new under the sun,” then prepare to love it, because I am going to tell you all about why novice writers should NOT be concerned with their work being original. It’s almost impossible to invent a new idea. There is this canon of stories, storytelling techniques, popular tropes, themes, character types, story beats, and other elements of storytelling.  With regard to these things, there is really no originality in most modern writing and classics alike. However, you can be original in your execution. No, I am not talking about killing people here—I am talking about the unique way you tell a story. Jeez—keep up, will you?

Anyway, it’s the execution that makes the idea original—you are putting your own spin on the idea with your own writing style, combination of tropes and character types, and techniques. With that said, you should be conscious of being too derivative. If this is the case, go back to your outline and work more on the idea and its basic elements.

So yeah, there’s nothing new under the sun—big deal. There are tons of new things on the sun, around the sun, above the sun, inside the sun—you get my point, right? It doesn’t matter if the core premise is unoriginal, if the writing style, characters, and delivery is. These original elements can set you apart from the competition in ways that originality in ideas just can’t.

Perfection in the first book or first draft

This has to be one of the biggest hurdles for novice writers and that’s that their work won’t measure up, won’t be good enough, or won’t be perfect on the first draft. Let me tell you something: that’s absolutely right. So, stop worrying about trying to create perfect writing and just write. That’s why we call them rough drafts, right? They aren’t supposed to be your best work on the first try. No, that’s why we revise and edit.

Here are some ways novice writers get all wound up about perfection in the first draft:

• Editing the beginning of the book before you’ve finished writing it

• Sending out early chapters to alpha readers or critique partners and making changes before the work is complete

• Waiting for others to validate the writing

It really doesn’t matter how good or bad your first draft is, because you’re going to edit it. Editing and revising are natural parts of the writing process, so it isn’t worth getting all wound up over trying to execute a perfect first draft. Most new writers get upset because they compare themselves to successful published writers, but almost all books out there are not the first draft edition and have undergone a rigorous editing and revising process before publication. Also, odds are is that any given book is likely not the authors first serious work and is actually the culmination of years of trial and error, experience, and growth in the writing process.  Perfection is overrated. Write first. Edit later. The editing can wait, but the final product cannot, so tell your inner editor to take a hike.

Focusing on publication and marketing

Another thing I see many new writers spin their wheels over and get too concerned with is all of the stuff that comes after you’ve written the book—the publishing process, the querying, the marketing, the launch etc. None of these things matter unless you’ve finished the book.

I see a lot of writers get caught up in the fantasy of what comes after publishing—the dream essentially. The problem is, is that that dream can’t come true unless you execute and write the book first. You can use these things as motivation to drive your efforts, but don’t get caught up in everything that comes after, so much so that you lose sight of the important part and that’s actually writing the book to begin with.

Editors are (not) monsters!

Another concern I see among amateur writers is that they will fundamentally change your book—that your creative vision, your baby will be crushed and ruined by the system and this is why traditional publishing is bad.

1) this is probably one of the biggest myths about the publishing industry EVER. Editors can’t make you do anything and besides, they are there to serve as a handmaiden to the writer. Editors don’t force fundamental changes on authors. Editors don’t just make these kind of lateral moves. The publishing industry is collaborative in nature and no one is forcing writers to make fundamental changes to their manuscript. Professionals make suggestions and the writer makes the changes as his or her discretion.  

2) Writers have a lot of power in the writing and editing process. Aside from the technical and stylistic advice editors give, authors should take most editing advice with a grain of salt and use their best judgement when navigating critiques and editing suggestions. A lot of the editing process is subjective, and worldview can and will impact what suggestions an editor makes.

Take critiques constructively and not personally and see whether they add meaningful changes to the story or should be ignored. Ultimately, you have the say in the direction in which your story goes. Don’t let the fear of red pens and monsters in reading glasses keep you from telling your story. If you get wrapped up in the idea that your book is a sacred creative vision and you can’t stand the idea of others’ suggestions, then truthfully, you are afraid of criticism. This is a serious fear and it should be reckoned with because if you ever hope to publish and have readers, you will have to be able to take criticism, constructive or otherwise.

One way to rid yourself of this fear is to start thinking about your book as a commercial product instead of a sacred piece of art. Once you acknowledge that you are creating a product for consumers—which they will not only buy, but also read, then you will stop thinking of the book as a piece of art with holy, creative meaning. You won’t grow as a writer if you aren’t open to criticism. If you want to read more on this topic, click here.

Negative reviews

Of course, this goes hand-in-hand with handling criticism but to work in a creative and commercial industry, you must be able to accept criticism—both good and bad. If this just isn’t something you are comfortable with, then you aren’t ready to publish and you likely never will be. Stick to writing for yourself if you can’t come to terms with the fact that not everyone will like your work.

I always think of this Dita Von Teese quote every time I talk to a writer who is afraid of dealing with criticism:

“You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there’s, still going to be somebody who hates peaches.” -Dita Von Teese

And the same thing goes for writing. Your book can be the best in the whole world, and there will be someone out there who hates it. We all have our own preferences and opinions and we’re all entitled to them.  You can’t please everyone, so stop trying to now. Write because it’s what you do, be willing to take feedback, and learn to grow from the criticism instead of getting caught up in the negativity.

On the literary side, you will be rejected by agents and publishers and on the self-publishing side, you’ll be rejected by negative reader reviews. It is easier to let go of negative reviews if you think of them as a consumer tool. They’re not for you, the writer—they’re for other readers. As a consumer tool, they have to exist on their own, in this space. Likewise, readers should not be offering craft advice to writers in this space.

Far future planning

The final and most ridiculous concern I see amateur writers getting all wrapped up in is planning waaaay too far in advance. These are the kind of writers that worry about their perfect agent or editor who will be the one to help them with the rest of their books down the line. Sometimes they envision the perfect publisher and spend entirely too much time looking for these things and don’t end up writing the book to begin with.

This is a complete waste of energy and time. The industry is so competitive and constantly in flux, so it is futile to try and plan everything out ahead of time. Focus on the short-term goals—writing and editing the book, creating a killer query for said book, finding an agent who will pick up the book in question, and the marketing for the current book.

Of course, writing ALWAYS comes first, but these are the short-term goals that you should focus on as a writer. You’ll have jam-packed months when the publishing process is in full swing and other, slower months when there is no book to work on or market. Don’t plan too far ahead; it’s a waste of time because you’ll find that nothing really ever goes exactly as planned.

It’s important to remember, you don’t have to stick with any one agent, publisher, or editor. It’s not uncommon to switch between agents or test-run editors before sticking with one for the long term. You need to find the agent that will sell your book NOW and only worry about the other projects when you get to them, down the line. The cold, hard truth about it is this: if you spend all your time planning for your future career and don’t work on finding an agent for your current project, you won’t have a successful career in the long run, and you’ll have just wasted time. This is one of the only instances where being shortsighted comes in handy.

That’s it for my list of the 7 common concerns of amateur writers. These are all things that just don’t matter and constantly hold aspiring writers back from the craft and ultimately, their dreams. These things don’t really matter, at least not in a meaningful way, and definitely not right now. Don’t put your writing career on the back burner out of fear or wasting time worrying about any of these issues, because they’re really not a big deal. It’s good to do a little planning and have a general vision and a strong why, but cross those bridges when you get to them and allow some flexibility to your plan.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! Have you heard of any of these concerns before? What is your biggest fear as a writer?

—Payton