Tips for Writing Even When You're Terrified
Sometimes all you have to do is jump.
A thirty-eight foot boat rocked, land nowhere to be seen. The dark ocean water shifting below, I plunged in. Salt water rushed against my pores. A few kicks to the surface, a gasp for air came with the rush of conquering fear.
Writing, can be just as fear forming. Sometimes fear strikes before the words form on the page, the pressure of perfection weighing on us. If you manage to get those words out, a new fear hits, sharing them. Did you expose too much of yourself? Even in fiction, I wrote a short article now long ago about how I tied myself into my novel without intention. (Read here)
For many, work is impersonal, like running electrical wires in a home or managing projects. When it comes to writing, there’s something special about putting your thoughts out, creating work for others to fill their minds and souls with.
So what do you do when fear takes over? I know most writers are not adrenaline junkies like me. Thirty feet above the ocean, waving from the platform before I jumped, a smile filled my face. Sharing my work? Let me swim with sharks instead.
My not so magical solutions.
First, try to stop focusing on who will read it. Write for yourself to start. Would you enjoy reading this? Is it something you would love, either now or another time in your past.
Second, get comfortable with sharing. Start easy with short posts, comments on others work, be vulnerable in the daily conversations you have. The next time someone asks “How are you?” try answering with something more than “Good, you?”
Third, when it’s time to share with others. I recommend a jump without turning back solution. Confidence comes with experience. If you need to start anonymously that’s okay. Put your words out there. Someone else will relate, because no matter how alone we feel others have crossed those emotions on their own paths.
Don’t get lost thinking too far ahead.
Deal with what’s in front of you today. That distant horizon is a future you problem. If you release your work in a year, you won’t be the same person you are today. So don’t stress about something your future self will handle in another way.
And if you need to leap into the ocean to get yourself going, I highly recommend it.
Ink-stained and blooming,
Izzy🌷🖤