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Description:
Are you an INSPIRED INTROVERT? This episode is for those writers who tend toward solitude and writing on their own, but could really benefit from sharing their work... if only they could conquer the fear of feedback.
Not sure what your writing persona is? Take the quiz here!
Listen
If You Are an Inspired Introvert…
Introduction
You are listening to The Novel Writing Podcast, episode 143. I'm your host, Colleen Mitchell. Grab a cup, cozy up, and let's get to writing!
Episode Overview
Today's episode is the fifth and last in our series about the possible results you might get by taking the Writing Persona Quiz, linked in the description.
This Episode is for the Inspired Introverts
This is for you if you are an INSPIRED INTROVERT!
Don't forget that if you get Inspired Introvert, Halie's description and video for you are the perfect place to start. This episode is a companion a lot like the first 60 episodes of this podcast are companions to The 60 Day Novel Writing Challenge daily videos.
What is an Inspired Introvert?
So, what is an Inspired Introvert, for those of you who maybe didn't get this quiz result or haven't taken the quiz yet to find out for yourself which persona you are?
This is the breed of writer who keeps things close to their chests. They're lone wolves in the writing world, and that can let them write about hard topics, be vulnerable in story exploration, and spend a lot of time thinking about not just the story and the characters and the world, but also how aspects of themselves show up in their writing.
Inspired Introverts make up about 17% of the persona population, right in the middle of the pack.
The Strengths and Challenges of Inspired Introverts
While solitude does AMAZING things for stories, the downfall of Inspired Introverts is not getting feedback, whether from critique partners or even just sound-boarding with a friend. This can come from a fear of critique, whether because of prior bad experience with sharing your work or from a fear of showing the vulnerable writing to others, whether for critique or just to the general reader population.
The Importance of Sharing Your Work
The problem with not sharing your work is that you can never improve as much as is required if you actually want to publish your book.
No successful author in the world has become successful by keeping everything private until launch day.
I dare you to name a single recognizable author who published a final draft that did NOT go through critique partners, alpha or beta readers, developmental edits, copyedits, and proofreading. Even if some of the early steps were skipped, guaranteed there is no successful author out there who skimps on the other steps.
Overcoming the Fear of Rejection
Inspired Introverts have the hardest time with the "sharing" part of the writing process because it opens them up to rejection.
However, learning how to receive critique and constructive feedback is a skill that we're not born with. We build up this skill in our small group coaching and critique program because it's a necessary part of the process if you want to publish. If you can't handle feedback from a critique partner, you won't be able to handle a negative review from a reader.
The Path to Growth
While this is good advice for all writers, not just Inspired Introverts, the Inspired Introverts can benefit the most from stepping outside of the bubble protecting them from feedback.
I promise you will grow as a writer, even if the first few times you get feedback are painful.
As former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty has said, growth and comfort do not coexist. And if you want to grow and improve as a writer, you'll need to get uncomfortable.
How to Get Started
If you're an Inspired Introvert looking for an opportunity to test the waters of sharing your work, even in extremely small bits, our small group coaching and critique program is the perfect place to slowly get used to the idea that not only are other people interested in reading what you've written, but that we're all pretty harmless and just want each other to succeed.
What’s Next?
This episode wraps up all the writing personas, but we're not done yet with quiz results! Coming in a few weeks, we'll start a new series on the different types of writer's block from our Writer's Block quiz... which you can find at the end of the Writing Persona quiz!
So if you haven't taken either quiz, check out the link in the description to uncover your results.
Conclusion
That's it for today's episode! If this has been helpful for you, I'd appreciate it if you left a rating or review on your platform of choice. While it does nothing for me, it does help other writers find this podcast.
Thanks for joining me, and remember, the first draft is supposed to be garbage.
Show Notes
Dive into the first episode of the Novel Writing Podcast with your host Colleen and her sometimes-guest Halie Fewkes Damewood! Here, we give you the gist of who we are, what we do, and what you can expect from this podcast.
What to do next…
Halie & Colleen are both authors! Find their books below:
Secrets of the Tally, by Halie Fewkes Damewood
The Chronicles of Talahm, by Colleen Mitchell
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