The Four Fears That Stop You From Writing (Article)

[Philip Overby]

The newest post at terribleminds.com is from guest author Andrea Phillips. I found this to be a good point of discussion: why do you really not finish your writing or find excuses not to do it?

Is it not enough time or is it fear?

The Four Fears That Stop You From Writing, By Andrea Phillips « terribleminds: chuck wendig

The four fears discussed:

1. Fear of About (Lack of) Talent

2. Fear About Feedback

3. Fear About Publication

4. Fear About Being Judged

Phillips discusses each fear in depth and gives solutions to overcome them. Any of these fears apply to you in anyway?

 

[Rinzei]

"Fear about Feedback" is one of my biggest ones - not so much that someone will say anything bad, but that no one will read it at all for that to matter. It made it really difficult to get going again. I know I shouldn't care what other people think or whether anyone else reads it - but I do, against my will.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

OMG I loved this so much! And this -

But this is a fear that leads you into pulling your punches. You start to back off the intensity of your writing, the truth of it. You’re so afraid to get hurt that you clam up and hide so nobody ever gets the chance.

This makes your writing suck. The absolute best work you have in you is always going to be the stuff that’s closest to your heart, the stuff that’s absolutely the hardest to let another human being read. It’s risky to show people those deep and true parts of yourself, but life is risk. Look that fear in the eye, spit it in the face, and then write more effing words.

This is the absolute truth. Thank you so much for sharing!

 

[Guy]

A lot of it just depends on where you are in this whole writing thing, too. I think it's sort of like boxing - when you first start out you're scared as hell of getting hit. After you've been slugged a few times, you learn to cope. The number of publishers I've been rejected by is well into the double digits. Ditto for agents. I don't enjoy rejection, but I've learned to cope. I'm pretty confident in the talent aspect of it. Not to say I'm a master whose work will still be read generations from now, but I know I don't suck and can write reasonably well. As for fear of judgement, you will never write anything of any consequence without pissing somebody off, so don't worry about it. Actually, if I piss certain people off, I take it as a sign I did well. And you will never please everyone. No matter how you write the story, somebody is going to think this or that should've been done differently. There's no way you can eliminate that. Forget all notions of your writing ever being completely criticism-free. Impending feedback will scare me, but I see it sort of like a medical procedure - it's scary and uncomfortable (maybe downright painful) as hell, but it beats the alternative, so suck it up and do it. My main obstacle is procrastination, and that's just because I procrastinate about pretty much everything. But I find I agree with Hemingway when he said, "When I don't write I feel like ***." Like exercise, when I skip it I feel guilty, it's sometimes tough to make myself start, but when I do I usually generate a momentum that carries me through, and I feel much better afterwards.

 

[Daenelia]

'Writing is like boxing', I am going to have to have that printed in a plate

Doesn't it kind of depend why you're writing? I mean, I mostly hear writers say that they write because they do not have a choice: they have to write.

I could be wrong, but I think the article is more about publishing, and would be better titled: "the four years that stop you from being a published aurthor" or something.

If one really fears writing, and what comes with it, it may just be a hobby you do in your spare time, for fun, no fear of being judged, or not being talented enough. I know I don't care one wit whether I have talent or not. I just enjoy writing and getting in the zone. Though I appreciate pointers, I am not opposed or fearful of feedback.

And I do publish my writing where everyone and their dog potentially could read it

I am terrified of bungy jumping. I can think of 4 or more reasons why. Doesn't mean I am ever going to go bungye jumping.

 

[Chessie]

Aye, this was great! I especially love the part about how our best writing is what's closest to our hearts and that we should accept the vulnerability and write past it.

Awesome.