Fear of Publishing and What to Do About It

Youre almost done with the whole article. You should feel relieved. Instead you feel like youve written a bunch of junk.

Its funny, though. At other times youve felt that youve written something worthwhile.

Now, however, you feel the urge to read several more articles, add more footnotes, edit it some more, or check your email. Anything but wrap it up and send it in.

It doesnt matter if its a revise and resubmit article for a journal or a draft chapter to show to your dissertation advisor. Theres something anxiety-provoking about letting go of your work and putting it out there for the wider world to see.

One very brilliant client of mine told me how she had a similar feeling when she was 9 months pregnant. The babys room wasnt ready, and she had so much more to do. She tried to will herself not to give birth yet. Luckily, her body didnt cooperate. Now she tries to do the same with journal articles.

This reluctance to release ones work is so common in academia, that it may well be the norm. In some cases, though, it can become crippling.
Reasons for Reluctance to Release Writing
Here are the kinds of statements that I...