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Insecurity and Impatience

I came across a great TED talk by social worker Brene Brown on the power of vulnerability. Courage is showing others who we are with our whole heart. The only way to connect with others is by showing them our vulnerabilities.

Since the above talk is 20 minutes and I know we're all busy hopping blogs for the Insecure Writers Support Group, here is a 5 minute presentation by Dr. Brown about the joys of imperfection.



Power of vulnerability?

Joys of imperfection?

Wha?

I'm here today to share with you some of my vulnerabilities, including insecurity and impatience. That's what happens in support groups, right? ;-)

In an earlier IWSG post I mentioned that my book sales had improved once my publisher lowered my ebook prices to $2.99. Unfortunately sales have slowed since then. Like, real slooow. Has anyone else noticed sales dipping?

While it's incredible to witness some books killing it (especially Wallbanger by Alice Clayton--released from my small publisher Omnific)--I feel insecure to compare that wild success to my little author hobby.

What are your insecurities?


I'm also mired in IMPATIENCE. Can you believe how long it takes to write a novel? I've been working on my WIP for a year and I'm still not done. I hoped to finish by now, when the ten weeks of The Next Best Thing ended. (Oh, that's another imperfection--I'm terribly behind with this meme.)

The good news is that I'm at 89,000 words. I will finish On Best Behavior!

What makes you impatient?



GIVEAWAYS!!!

Omnific Publishing hosts a Holiday Without Rules Kindles Full of Books Giveaway. My publisher will give away THREE Kindles, people! Loaded with our books. Enter HERE. And join us for the Author Author Blog Bounce too.

Are you stressed out from stringing Christmas lights and knocking back too much Egg Nog? Visit Kate Evangelista's blog where I provide tips for "Maintaining Sanity for the Holidays". I'm also giving away my YA swimming romance Streamline.


Comments

Yes, sadly my book sales are near zero -- and that with my contest with a signed Stephen King and a signed Ray Bradbury book as incentives. When I can't get readers with those prizes, the handwriting is on the wall for me! (And it's not saying "Good Job!")

To be vulnerable is to be authentic. No one is perfect. We know that, and when another person is brave enough to show where they have doubts and fears, it makes us feel closer to them. Of course, to predators, it shows them where to close in for the kill. So to be authentic these days is to be brave.

For my DOWN HOME CHRISTMAS post of yesterday, I dared to show my heart and to speak of love. Of course, it got the fewest visits of any of my posts for months. To dare to be vulnerable sometimes hurts.

Excellent, thought-provoking post, Jennifer.
Jennifer Joyce said…
I don't even have book sales. I'm unpublished and my main insecurity is that I will always be unpublished *sigh*
Jennifer Lane said…
Thank you so much, Roland. You make a good point about the risks of vulnerability--it opens one up for hurt by predators. Still, I'd rather feel connected and occasionally get hurt (like I did in my former job by a supervisee) than walk around with a lack of trust and a chip on my shoulder.
Jennifer Lane said…
Mama J, thank you for reminding me to be grateful that I am published. And if I can do it, you can too! I went with a small publisher and didn't have to spend years querying the big publishers. But I had no idea this could happen until I finished a few manuscripts and took a risk of making myself vulnerable by putting my work out there. Do you have a completed manuscript? I know it takes FOREVER (see my impatience comment above) but that's such an important step, obviously.
Cynthia said…
Saying hello from IWSG...Like you, I sometimes feel impatient with the writing process and want to just finish my WIP for good and get it over with, especially when I've been through so many rounds of revisions.
M Pax said…
I'm impatient, too.

My new book isn't selling. I'm getting a new cover, then will drop the price.

However, my other series continues to sell steady.

My new book is a different audience, so it's like starting over. Blah! lol
Yes, writing a book takes forever.
I noticed my rankings dropped in November, so I guess that means less sales.
Nicki Elson said…
I'm getting better at showing my vulnerability. I think. But I'm still not comfortable with it. Hrm, perhaps I ought to take the full 20-minute course, hehe.

Mostly I'm thrilled about the Wallbanger success, but yes, it's got me feeling a bit insecure, like I'm leaving some sort of magical stone unturned in my marketing efforts.

Thanks for your IWSG reminder at my place! But my post should've been up by then so please let me know if you still don't see it. Thanks madame. ;)
Jennifer Lane said…
Cynthia, I haven't even gotten to the revisions stage--that's a whole new level of impatience, ha. Thanks for the validation.
Jennifer Lane said…
M Pax, best of luck that your new cover will lead to a spike in sales! And that's great your series is chugging along.

I'm trying to learn the adult romance and YA romance communities, finding they're way different!
Jennifer Lane said…
Alex, sometimes I whine "I want to write fasterrrr!" But it does feel AMAZING when it's done. Hope December picks back up for both of us.
Jennifer Lane said…
Nicki, I bet that was my user error--I bet I went to your older post url by accident. Still learning this new macbook! Will stop by your IWSG post now.
Thanks for the post Jen! Sadly our sales have dropped as well, they did pretty well for a while but have dried up but I blame that on my lack of ability to market effectively. We keep being told that a good back list will help with that problem but wow, that takes a while. We are just finishing our fifth and should have it off next week and it only took about four months and I thought it took way longer than I wanted it to, guess I'll have to confess to impatiance as well, lol. I am looking forward to On Best Behavior, good luck!
F. Stone said…
I loved the video clip. I would like to listen to the entire presentation. Thank you, Jen.
Cherie Colyer said…
This is a great post. Thanks, Jen!

There really should be a magic key to marketing. We could all use that. :) I'm impatient by nature. I hate waiting. Funny that I would choose to write knowing this.
Jennifer Lane said…
Reggie, that's a bummer to hear, but you're doing great at getting your author names out there by cranking out the books.
Jennifer Lane said…
Thanks, Feather. She is one inspirational speaker! I used the mantra "I am enough" in a challenging situation this week and I think it helped chill me out.
Jennifer Lane said…
Cherie, I think when we started writing we had no idea what was ahead of us! This writing thing takes mucho patience. Thankfully it seems we both have a lot of perseverance.
Megan said…
I'll admit I was just skimming through for a place to leave you a comment about how amazing your other two books sound and I happened to see that you're writing another one...On Best Behavior! Ooh, excited!!! I haven't read the other two but they're at the top of my to-read list, as soon as I finish the other 3 books I'm reading at the same time, lol :) Just wanted to tell you how amazing they sound!!
Jennifer Lane said…
Megan, it's great to hear your enthusiasm! Thank you for giving my novels a try, and I hope you enjoy Grant and Sophie's adventures.