Things That Keep You From Writing: The Fear Factor

 

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” ~Frank Herbert, Dune

Today’s motivational writing post is brought to you by the emotion fear.

Fear is a tricky emotion. It doesn’t always manifest with a pounding pulse, shaking hands, and chills up and down your spine. Sometimes, when it comes to writing, it can masquerade as boring, ordinary, avoidance.

You sit down to write. You open up your manuscript. You stare at it. It stares at you. You feel a sudden need for another cup of coffee. Or maybe a snack. Brownies would be good. You don’t have any brownies in the house, but there’s a box of mix in the pantry. Or, better yet, you have a made-from-scratch recipe which will allow you to feel creative and virtuous for eschewing chemicals and the make-it-quick mentality of our modern society.

While the brownies are baking you have a good thirty minutes of writing time, but it occurs to you that the dishes need to be done and the floor should be swept. The cat rubs around your ankles. When was the last time she saw the vet? You can’t remember. Maybe she needs shots. Rabies would be a terrible thing. That horrible scene from Old Yeller is permanently etched in your memory and the thought of a rabid cat shredding you with her claws is terrifying. You don’t own a gun, unlike the Old Yeller kid. Maybe you should think about that. What would it take to own a gun?

By the time the oven alarm goes off to let you know your brownies are ready, you’ve researched vet appointments and guns.

Now you have brownies, though, and it’s time to go back to writing.

That manuscript is still staring at you. There’s a small uneasiness in your belly. A sudden desire to go outside. Or vacuum. Forget vacuuming, the carpets haven’t been cleaned in forever. This really is the day to go rent a carpet cleaner and get that done.

Of course you really want to write and you’re very sad that life keeps getting in the way, but that’s just how things are…

Next time you sit down to write and feel this huge resistance thing going on, consider staying right there in your chair and checking out your emotional state. What is your body telling you? Can you feel the tension of resistance in your shoulders and your thighs? Is there a weight in your belly? Or butterflies?

Take out a sheet of lined paper or a notebook, if you have one. Get a pen. Now write, at the top of the page, these words:

I am afraid that…

Now free write for five minutes, keeping that pen moving and not stopping to think about what is going on the page.

In my world, it’s going to be something like this:

I am afraid that I can’t write this book, that it’s going to suck, that I’ll lose all of my contracts and my former readers will hate me. Maybe I have Alzheimers or something and have forgotten how to line up words on the page. I’m afraid that everything I’ve ever written is horrible. I’m afraid this book is too big for me. I’m afraid I won’t get done in time, that this deadline is too tight, that I’ve bitten off more than I can chew…

Whatever your version of the fear may be, this emotion is a strong deterrent to writing.

Anything.

Ever.

And the only real solution I know is to push past the fear. To write through it. I find that this is easier if I write every day. It’s like that old “get right back in the saddle after you fall off the horse” cliche. The longer you wait, the longer you let the fear keep you from the page, the harder it will be to overcome it.

Here are a few methods that have helped me get past my fear.

1. Write something. Anything. If the manuscript proves too formidable, write something else. A blog post, say. Or some free writing in a journal. Anything that gets the words flowing and begins to dissolve that big, cold, lump of fear labeled I Can’t Write.
2. Actively give yourself permission to write crap. Yep. Sometimes I sit down at my computer and consciously tell myself, maybe even out loud, “Go ahead. Write something that sucks.”
3. Make friends with the fear. Talk to it. Bribe it with treats. Name it, even. Because it’s probably not ever going to actually go away. Ten books down the line it will still be sitting on your shoulder, much like Poe’s raven. So you might as well get used to it.

And that’s about it. I’ve made a little permission slip for you, to help you get started. Print it off, put your name on it, sign and date it, and keep it where you write.