WAKE UP AND WRITE
You Can’t Be Your Own Gatekeeper
Say yes to your work even when you think others might say no
Wake Up and Write is a regular advice column from Moms Don’t Have Time to Write. Today, we have Kwame Mbalia, author of Tristan Strong Destroys the World, who shared writing advice on the podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books, hosted by Zibby Owens.
As a writer, you will meet so many different so-called gatekeepers, the people who will either allow your work through to the next level, to the next rung in publishing, or will reject it and send it back.
“You will meet so many of those gatekeepers who control access. But the very first gatekeeper you will meet will be yourself. You cannot self-reject. You cannot be a gatekeeper for yourself. You cannot say, “My story isn’t good enough to be here or my writing isn’t great enough to do this.”
You have to be your own biggest fan, promoter, publicist, and really energize yourself. Don’t self-reject. Submit your work. Submit, submit, submit. You say yes even if you think everyone else will say no. You say yes.”
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