Haha thank you Monique, and yes I think it’s normal for most people. I’m a rare breed in the sense I’ve always had the ability to block all of that out both while writing and in hitting publish. I can be overly sensitive and defensive to direct and non-constructive criticisms of my writing but have never had trouble hitting publish or share.

And my offer still stands, I assure you, you have nothing to worry about. If you submit something, for starters you have my word I’ll accept it. And my feedback doesn’t come in the form of harsh or belittling criticisms — I’d simply edit and publish your submission and if there was anything I thought I could pass along to you that might help you in the future I would.

You definitely can’t worry about what people think about your writing, you just have to write. As much as my posts may speak to you, there are plenty of others who dislike it and take the time to tell me what was wrong with specific posts — it’s just a part of it. I thank them for reading and move on.

Looking forward to your first submission — you have nothing to fear and I have full faith in you! I’ll happily help make your first submission a great one, so look forward to it rather than fear it.