I am sure there is a name for this but I call it an echo fear. Someone once said something about your writing in a negative way. From then on you carry that fear into every book you write.

I can still remember a rejection I received over a decade ago. https://twitter.com/rosereywriter/status/1257759443573448705

The editor told me my book lacked conflict.

I have written over 20+ later and still there is a tiny voice that asks, "Does this have conflict?"

Doesn't matter I now have a full grasp of inner and outer conflict unlike I did then.

I can still hear the echo of that critique.

We won't talk about how for years grammar and punctuation was my main critique. You can still find me in a fetal position if someone mentions I didn't put a comma in the right place.

This...THIS isn't about being too fragile. Or you getting it wrong.

This is about how to deal.

And the "dealing" is hard. Whatever critique you received can be valid, and often is. There are two issues you have to learn how to recognize.

1. It is a legit consistent problem.
2. It was simply a problem with THAT book.

The only cure is to write more.

Which is a problem bc you are haunted by that critique.

And it's circular bc you can't ever know unless you write more. But writing more gets you all twisted in knots.

The only way out is getting more feedback on your work. (And that leads to more echoes.)

But you gotta do it.

You gotta do it so you can learn, truly learn, what is an actual consistent problem and a one-off book problem with your writing.

Because I have written 20+ books I know I don't consistently have problems with pacing. I don't consistently have problems conflict or getting characterization on the page. No issues with dialogue.

I know my strengths because I kept writing.

I know them bc I didn't stop at one person or three people who gave me feedback. They weren't all friends or fans. Some were better than others at zeroing in. Some were better at seeing the bigger picture.

Along the way I learned what kind of critiques a certain person gives.

Some are genius at prose. They can tell you your writing ticks down to sentence structure you use. Some can break down how you tell story from a bird's eye view.

Some can do both, depending on what you're asking them to focus on.

But the bottom line is, you can't fully see what you need to work on until you work on it all.

Craft isn't about perfection. Tho, unfortunately, we are geared toward that goal.

Craft is about making that one project the best it can be on what you know at that time.

So write because you love it. Accept now it's not going to be perfect. Accept now you will get so much better at certain things and still struggle with others. Accept some books, some characters will test it ALL.

Keep writing. Perfection doesn't tell stories. You do.

*If you appreciate the work in this thread, you can buy me a ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/melissab