A writer friend of mine was recently saying how she felt rather alone in her writing. She was struggling with a particular book, and felt as if she was the only writer to get bogged down, and who stopped writing as a result.

Which is odd since I am the master of that.

And thought it was only me.

So here are a few things I do, and chime in if you do them to:

Avoid conflict. By which I mean, if I have to write a particularly emotional scene, I will avoid it like…well, like I do those scenes in real life. I hate tears. I hate drama. I’d rather avoid it at all costs. While I can get away with it in my real life by isolation, I can’t in my writing, not if I want people to like my work.

Downplay my accomplishments in order to keep from failing. This is an easy one. If I don’t say something matters, than when it eventually fails, it won’t hurt. Sort of like Object Permanent for children, but I’m a grown ass adult. I am a confident (for the most part) woman in charge of my own shit, so what the hell?

And finally, let a bad review, a mean critique, or other nonsense to derail my writing. No one will like me all of the time. My head knows this, but damn if the writer inside has figured it out. After a rough start in elementary school, I learned to deal with rejection and cruel taunts. So why is it a bad review outweighs the good ones?

What do you see as universal?