July 10, 2012

“Do the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

I’ve been re-reading James Scott Bell’s excellent book The Art of War for Writers, and he says that “the biggest mental obstacle–in writing, in war, in life itself–is fear.”

I would agree 100%.

How do we fear writing?

Let me count the ways… Bell mentions several kinds of fear that plague writers. Do you find yourself in this list? Do you have additional fears?

Fear of:

• not being good enough
• not getting published
• getting published but not selling
• getting published once but never again
• getting stomped by critics
• getting stomped by family members
• wasting your time

The Quality of Fearlessness

Bell wrote about the young Teddy Roosevelt who was a sick, frail, fearful child–and what changed him into the fearless leader of history. Basically, he learned the old adage of “fake it till you make it” or “act as if.” Bell says that fearful writers become fearless writers in the same way.

Sure, you will set goals and get prepared. And (if you’re like me) you’ll pray for help. But in the end you will need to act as if you’re a successful, fearless writer until (over time) your feelings catch up with your behavior and you actually become one.

Start Today

When fear in some form hits you today, what immediate action step could you take in the face of that fear? How would a professional, successful writer deal with that fear?

What is one way you can channel that fear into energy for your writing?

Be fearless today and, as battle buddies, share one tip you’ve used successfully to win the war on the many fears of writing.

8 Comments »

1. 

   I also just read another blog post on fear that’s very good: http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/the-fear-factor/

   Comment by Kristi Holl — July 10, 2012 @ 3:28 pm

2. 

   I love the fake it till you make it — it’s true for many things. You can’t possibly feel sad if you’re hopping and skipping. You can’t feel proud and full of yourself when you kneel in front of a crucifix, you can’t stay mad when you kiss.

   Right now I am writing a hard scene. I do not want to do this, because what’s in my head comes out in a mangled state out of my fingers, but I am doing it anyway. I am writing through the fear that it is complete garbage. I’m writing it knowing that I may well throw it out. I have thrown out countless pages. Oddly enough, the delete button has given me some control over the fear (of not being good enough). I can delete it all.

   Comment by Vijaya — July 10, 2012 @ 7:20 pm

3. 

   Vijaya, thanks for sharing! You’ve given me the oomph today to write through a messy part myself. I loved how you said that the delete button had given you some control over the fear of not being good enough! What a great way to look at it! If it’s really bad, no one will ever know.

   Comment by Kristi Holl — July 11, 2012 @ 6:28 am

4. 

   “Fake it till you make it” is good advice and works amazingly well. I think sometimes our brains can get stuck on a negative, fearful script. Giving yourself alternative, positive scripts to play in your head really works. Journaling helps me do this. I write down a fear or obstacle that stands in my way (for instance, “I really hate to cold-call people for interviews”). Then I brainstorm ways I can overcome the obstacle, or I write about why this fear is unfounded. This gives me a different script to play in my head. I can reread my journal later and say, “Oh yeah, this is a silly fear. I don’t need to be afraid of that because…”

   Comment by Rebecca — July 11, 2012 @ 8:51 am

5. 

   Rebecca, journaling is excellent! I had to smile when I read this…I was off the computer because of storms, so I journaled awhile about “lies I believe” and wrote down the truths instead. Very helpful, in ALL areas of life. And as you pointed out, re-reading them often is key.

   Comment by Kristi Holl — July 11, 2012 @ 10:31 am

6. 

   Love this post, Kristi. Fear can be so paralyzing. I’ve been reading The Courage to Be Yourself by Sue Patton Thoele. She has two chapters devoted to fear. She talks about how in order to be free, we need to find courage to face the dragons in our dungeon – those fears that flourish deep within us. She says fears are clues that there are hidden reservoirs of pain inside us that need healing. She shares an inspiring quote by Sylvia Browne: “I know how cold and paralyzing fear can be. I know how much strength, courage, and hard work are needed to conquer it. Most of all, I know that there are few victories in life more liberating than the victory over the low, dark clouds of fear that block our spirits from their rightful place in the sun.”

   Kristi, I love your idea of writing down not only the “lies I believe,” but replacing them with truths. I’ve been trying to retrain my brain to quit automatically switching back to my default mode of the lies I believe. The TRUTH will set us free!

   Comment by Trudy Den Hoed — July 12, 2012 @ 1:52 pm

7. 

   Trudy, I found a long time ago that unless I replaced the lies with truth, it was pointless to look at my fears. I only dug deeper trenches in the old brain that way. But bit by bit if I replace those fears with truth from God’s Word, I dig new channels for thoughts to flow through. It’s a tedious process sometimes, but the tide is turning! I certainly agree that there are few victories in life more exhilarating than conquering an entrenched fear.

   Comment by Kristi Holl — July 12, 2012 @ 2:57 pm

8. 

   Thanks to all for commenting and to Kristi for posting the article. I am a new writer working on my first novel and the fear of not being good is overwhelming. What makes me so angry about my fear and self doubt is that it creates this feeling that everything is so fragile. The good work from the week or the great phrasing that I wrote is something that my fear loves to shatter. It steals my joy. Reading this entry today really was encouraging. I am going to try the strategies listed above and work toward faking it till I can make it.

   Comment by Nicole Crail — July 18, 2012 @ 12:32 pm

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