![]() If you're feeling discouraged or swallowed by your fear, check out this book for some motivation.Įven better, find and join a writing group like we have here at The Write Practice. One book that a lot of writers really love on this subject is The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. You did what scared you and that’s amazing. In fact, that little tingle of fear should be your signal to celebrate. The trick is to acknowledge it and move forward. My stomach still flips every time I submit a short story, even though I’ve submitted hundreds of times. You’re going to be scared frequently in this business. Instead, set a long term goal of continually learning how to write better and smaller milestones that will help you finish stories you start.Īll of this is accomplished word by word, and by turning real and irrational fears into manageable tasks. Stories are finished one day at a time, with hard work and a desire to grow your writing process.ĭon't sweat the small stuff in your first drafts, like word choice. Without these smaller milestones, it might be hard to finish your piece of writing, or even find the motivation to keep writing each day. When you reach the top you might be a little exhausted and out of breath, but you’ll look back at all you’ve accomplished and feel proud. Writing a book is like summiting a mountain: you do it one step at a time. Set goals and move toward them.įocus on milestones like daily word counts and deadlines (self-imposed or otherwise). What are you writing for? We'll never know unless you decide to share your work. Perfectionism can stunt your creative writing instead of empower it. At some point, you have to let it go and put the work out there. It’s impossible, so stop revising ad nauseam. Not to you, not to your editors, and not to your readers. I have a secret for you: you’ll never get there. You want every sentence in your work to be perfect. But even in those nasty reviews, there’s normally something to learn from.įind it. Yes, sometimes it’s mean-spirited, especially in this age of internet trolls. It's not rejecting your work, which might be why some writers fail to share their work: because their fear of rejection is mistakenly associated with getting critiques. Someone was there to point out what you were doing wrong and set you on the right path. The first time you dribbled a basketball wasn’t Lebron-level. The first meal you cooked wasn’t a gourmet meal. You don't have to rank #1 on Amazon or make a bestseller list your first go (even though I won't argue that would be fantastic). Writing is like everything else in that it requires practice. Criticism is much easier to take when you go into it knowing that fact.ĭon’t just ignore criticism, though. Your writing will not please everyone and that’s something you should realize and accept now. We all want to be liked, to be perfect, to be praised. Learn from criticism.Ĭriticism is what everyone fears. Ultimately, those who procrastinate will be more prone to writing off procrastination as writer's block-and the more time you spend away from writing, the scary it will become. Ten minutes of scrubbing the grout with a toothbrush and then get back to your writing. If you really, truly need a break to clear your mind, set a time limit. No, you don’t need to run to the store to pick up a bag of chips.įigure out when the best time for you to write is and then write. The blank page becomes way less scary as soon as you put words on it. Start writing, have patience with yourself, and worry about the rest later. The reality is, you can never become a great writer unless you practice-and to practice, you have to write.Įmbrace and overcome your fear by putting words down. Start with a short story, or try out some writing prompts.Īspiring writers might feel intiimdated because they don't think that they are a great writer. ![]() I'm not saying you have to go write a 90,000 word novel. ![]() Do what scares you, and keep doing it, and the fear will subside. It needs to learn that just because something is scary doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s detrimental to your health. Is it actually harmful? Unless it’s something like jumping from a bridge into a rocky river or stepping in front of a speeding vehicle, it’s probably not.įear is trying to keep you safe. When you’re up against something that makes you cringe, ask yourself what the worst-case scenario is. It’s time to stop letting fear control you and get writing. You’ll never write that book and you’ll never get published. If you let fear hold you back, you’re ensuring you never achieve your goals. When you sink into that fear it debilitates you. But then sharing your work with other people so they can critique or review it? CRINGE. Writing is hard enough with all the self-evaluation and doubt about your abilities. Fear of writing, fear of sharing your work, fear of publishing-and how you can overcome it.
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