The spooky season is upon us (say it with me: spooooky season. Just like in the old cartoons!), so I think it’s appropriate to address the subject of fear in writing.
And by this I mean writing fears (not writing about fear. That’s a whole other post!). We’re on the cusp of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) so I’m sure all you writers out there are getting your fears out, dusting them off and warming them up for use.
As Dune so famously has it (yes, that Dune), “Fear is the mind-killer.” Fear will get in the way of any and all writing if we let it. So let’s shine some light under the bed and check if there really are monsters.
Take a Lesson from SNL
Literally the most common fear for all writers comes back to some version of “I’m not good enough.”
The most common fear for all writers comes back to some version of “I’m not good enough.” Telling ourselves we aren’t good enough is the oldest trick in the brain’s danger-protection repertoire. #writingcommunity Share on XI’m dating myself with this reference, but who else out there remembers Stuart Smalley? Specifically, the episode with Michael Jordan? I will never forget the look in Mike’s eyes as he tried to keep a straight face while saying, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough…”
Telling ourselves we aren’t good enough is probably the oldest trick in the brain’s danger-protection repertoire. Anytime we aspire to do something we find dangerous in some way—even if the danger is by no means life-threatening, like writing a book—we activate the channels for this ancient response system.
Versions this fear might take:
- my work is terrible
- my editor is going to judge me
- I have no talent
- I’m a novice/decrepit and past it
Every writer I have ever met, regardless of experience, has this fear. So you’re in good company. And I have to ask: How are you going to get good enough?
Yeah, I thought so.
The Myth of Originality
The second most common fear is that we’re not original enough.
Let me ask you another question. How many books, movies, plays, or songs about love exist?
How many coming-of-age stories exist? Rags-to-riches stories?
How many business and children’s books?
A completely original story concept is a delusion. We’ve been telling each other stories for millennia. When was the last time a human being told an original story?
Guess what—a blog post about writing fears isn’t original, either. I googled the topic, and there’s an endless list. My favorite search result included this quote: “Very few books are profoundly original—and the few that are tend not to be that valuable (because true originality demands that the idea be far too esoteric to be useful for most people).”
Do you want to be too esoteric to be useful? Or do you want to be valuable? How about insightful and relatable?
A completely original story concept is a delusion. We’ve been telling each other stories for millennia. When was the last time a human being told an original story? #writingcommunity #writerslife Share on XLack of originality should never stop you. (Unless you’re infringing on someone else’s copyright.)
Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
This is a favorite question other people ask writers. Answering this has always been a head-scratcher for me. From my brain? From what I observe around me?
But writers can also worry about running out of ideas, of never having another idea again. Especially if you’ve already written (and published) work, and you are thinking about that audience out there with expectations.
The word “expectations” is our clue. I bet you have plenty of ideas; the trouble is that you’re probably shooting them out of the air before they can land. Judging them before writing a single word. Or simply not giving yourself enough time and space to make those observations of the world around you.
Stop shooting your ideas out of the air before they can land. Give yourself enough time and space to make observations of the world around you. #writingtip #writerslife Share on XCreative work isn’t like buying groceries: you’ve got a list, you know which store you’re going to, you purchase, and come home to unpack. Writing is more like putting together a dinner menu from scratch—what are you going to cook? Who’s coming and what do they like? What ingredients do you need? How do you combine them?
Give yourself the time to consider your menu.
Other Common Fears
Rounding out our list of highlights, writers are also afraid of:
- never finishing the story/writing too slowly
- not knowing enough about the subject
- being discovered as a “fraud” (and not in a James Frey way)
- someone getting mad at them (especially after the story of the Bad Art Friend)
- gremlins
Okay, maybe not that last one. But it’s nearly Halloween, so who knows? Or maybe we’re talking about the computer gremlins, wreaking technological havoc. Back up your files…
There is only one way to finish the story. You can always learn what you need to know (unless you already know enough). You control whether or not you’re truthful in your writing, and it’s basically impossible to write anything good without running the risk of annoying someone, somewhere.
Bottom Line
What do these fears have in common? Most of the time, we’re using them as excuses to not sit down and do the hard work of writing. We’re using them to build our own writer’s block.
How do you feel now that we’ve shone the flashlight under the bed?
Remember, these fears are not unique to you. The best way to get clear of your fears is to shine a light on them and look at what, in fact, you’re truly worried about. Most things that go BUMP in the night will be stubbed toes.
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Want to avoid stubbed toes? Let’s chat about whether a book structure intensive may be right for you.
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