Scary stuff by Brenda Janowitz

This cycle, we're talking about what scares us as writers.  I think it's a funny thing to be talking about, since SO MUCH about being a writer scares me.

Right now, I'm waiting to get edits on my third novel.  I know that my new editor is really excited about the book, but I can't help being worried about what she'll say about it.  Sure, she read the book before acquiring it, so (presumably) she really likes it, but there's that tiny piece of me that's concerned.  Maybe, after reading it again, she'll discover that she doesn't actually like my book, but really hates it.  That she's made a huge mistake in offering me a two book deal, so she's taking it all back and my third (and fourth!) novels won't be published, after all.  Oh, and by the way, could you please send back your advance check?

Yes, I know that sounds melodramatic and silly, but as a writer, what we do best is let our minds wander.  And the darker and deeper they go, the better, it seems.  After all, who wants to read a book that's devoid of conflict where everything is just happy happy happy and works out from the get go?

I don't.

So, we spend most of our free time thinking about the what-ifs, wondering about worst-possible-case scenarios.  Which then, of course, makes us worry even more: is this too dark?  Is it not dark enough?  Is this realistic?  If I write this will anyone want to publish it?  If I do get it published, will my best friend/ mother/ husband/ sister/ daughter hate me for what I've written?

But that's okay.  Because I think that embracing what scares us most is what actually makes us writers.

So, what scares you most?

I’m the author of Scot on the Rocks and Jack with a Twist.  My work’s also appeared in the New York Post and Publisher’s Weekly.  You can find me at brendajanowitz.com.