Courting rejection?

Flush with some recent success at placing short stories in various journals, I have committed that I would work on the novel.

But I keep delaying…outlining, thinking up dialogue, working on settings, tone, characterization, structure, plotting, the list goes on and on. In the end, it’s all a tactic for not getting on the bus.

Reading Steinbeck’s journal, I realize I’m not alone in this. A writer I know recently commented that she fears not finishing her work: I fear not starting. Especially since I’ve had some things accepted, there’s a sense of not wanting to screw things up, not beckon failure and rejection.

Last night, I took out some of the index cards I’ve been using to outline the book. Time to pin them up above the computer and do it…write the thing.