The summer should have been a wonderful odyssey of writing two novels as originally planned, but the excuses and the Resistance I encountered were substantial…to my mind, anyway.
I imagine Lucy from Peanuts, who looks remarkably like my late cousin, to be scoffing in her booth, and shaking the money jar…”coins, beautiful coins” listening to my writerly concerns. Here’s a little self-Lucy…
“Afraid to Write” is the underlying issue, and it wasn’t before…I couldn’t stop writing. I wrote myself into carpal tunnel in both wrists…was that the beginning? Was it the concerned looks and asides from relatives about writing and making a decent living before I entered college? Was it more recently, struggling to pay rent, the electric bills, and meet academic standards in my education, grading countless essays and giving advice to young academic writers…have I lost energy?
A great article or pep talk: “Are You Too Scared to Write” by Marya Jan; tells you to stop second guessing yourself and get to it. The most important point? “Stop comparing my writing with others” (Jan par. 7).
Another article compares the struggle to “dancing with fear” (Millin par. 8): “Creative Writing and Fear” by Peggy Tabor Millin. The most useful metaphor is that of “rowing out to sea” (Millin par. 8). The idea expressed by Millin is that in order for writers “to find their heart, they had to be willing to be nailed by fear” (par. 6).
To be real, to be honest, we have to face our turmoil, our fears, and open ourselves up. Beth Hayden stipulates in her article, “Why We Still Need to Write,” that “We have to keep writing” (par. 2).
Easier said than done…but it’s important to realize…we are not alone in our fear.
There are countless suggestions, but one article suggests breaking down the fears and fuel our writing process. Ryan Urie offers thoughtful suggestions in his article, “How Fear Helps You to Write Better”. It’s not over until you give up…and even then, you can always pick up the pencil, tablet, or voice recorder again.
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