“Writing-related fear and low self-esteem both arise from straying attention. Sometimes the person is seeking an inappropriate (unrealistic) result. If a beginning writer is riveted on the praise and attention she will receive from ‘good writing,’ her writing (based on wobbly concentration) will lack the very quality that would bring her the acceptance for which she yearns. Her desire to be brilliant redirects itself toward the idea of success based on another person’s opinion over which she has little control (herein lies the basis for fear) rather than toward the commitment to make consistent effort— over which she has total control.”

– from One Continuous Mistake: Four Noble Truths for Writers by Gail Sher