3 Mindsets That Held Me Back from My Horror Writing

Before I fully embraced my horror self to bring into my writing, I was a mere mouse that was afraid. I kept on doubting myself in the past, believing I wasn’t good enough to write the horror genre.

I had three mindsets set in my head, that I allowed to hold me back from my true horror self.

Some of these reasons are kind of stupid, but when you are afraid, sometimes the dumbest things can prevent you from fully embracing your true talent!

I thought people would laugh at my horror stories.

I feel that is a pretty common reason why people hesitate to share their work with others.

I always assumed that my horror stories were automatic trash. I thought they did not deserve to even be read by anyone.

I wasn’t an expert horror writer, but I felt that my writing was really lacking.

I was always afraid that people would really butcher my stories upon first reading, and I was scared of sharing my work.

I think laughing is a bit too much to picture, but I truly believed that people would mock my stories.

Until I got to college, did I realize that I was truly being dumb and actually quite reasonable.

I heard some insane stories where dickhead students would heavily mock each of their classmates’ writings, due to their own insecurities with their own writing.

Why they resorted to being an asshole will remain a mystery to me.

I was afraid of being rejected by everyone.

This reason is another common reason in the writing community.

I knew that my horror writing wasn’t the best, and I instantly knew that I was going to be facing multiple rejections from publications.

I was dreading this so much. I was scared that it would affect me, leaving me wanting to give up on my writing dream.

Then I met a professor that told me a lot of what he experienced in the writing world.

He confessed that he went through multiple rejections through publications, including one that left a huge mark on him.

Despite everything he experienced, he told me that what really mattered was the big wins you will go have with your writing.

I didn’t understand what he meant by this, until I won my first creative writing contest.

It was such a huge relief and win for me, that I immediately understood my professor at that moment.

This is what he had meant by getting my win. It takes time to achieve your accomplishments, and man, does it feel good!

Don’t ignore criticism, they are not insulting you!

I will say, one of the few things that did really get to me was hearing criticism from my classmates and teachers.

It really hurt, but I knew they were trying to help me become a better horror writer!

Their advice was actually pretty useful and awesome, and they truly cared about wanting to help me!

In the past of my high school creative writing class, I hated receiving criticism from anyone when it came to my writing.

I always had this stupid mindset:

“They are out to get me.”

That wasn’t the case. People aren’t trying to ruin you.

Of course, they do exist, but those people are just jealous of your talent, or they just want to be total jerks for no reason.

Overtime in high school, I began to accept everyone’s views on my writing. Instead of feeling stressed over my horror stories, I began to look forward to sharing my stories with everyone.

I didn’t care what people thought of my work anymore. Advice or just plain nonsense, I was happy that people were acknowledging my writing!

Sometimes it can take years to become the best writer, but you shouldn’t let your mind get the best of you.

Snap out of whatever mindset is holding you back from your true potential with your writing! Embrace your true self!

We writers want to read about your favorite niche, and the passion you possess through your words!

To the horror writers like me, share your horror stories with the world! I will be there to read each of them and share my love of your stories with everyone!

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Thank you for reading!

Emy Quinn