Fear...
It's the No.1 driving force behind writers not writing.
People look at fear as a bad thing, when in reality it's truly your friend. That emotion warns you of perils ahead. *But what if those perils are merely imagined, and not real?*
Writers, artists, more than any other societal group, have an imagination that can equally feed greatness and fuel impotency.
The solution: welcome it. Ride the wave of fear!
When it comes over you, embrace it. Say out loud to yourself, "I am afraid of screwing up. I doubt my efforts will succeed into anything meaningful," then whip on that imaginary bathing suit, grab your long board, and hit the surf, DETERMINED TO RIDE THAT FEAR by WRITING RIGHT THROUGH IT, like all it is, is another wave that carries excitement and adventure, not self harm.
After 4 literary novels, a writer How To, a child's adventure memoir and an edited writers group anthology under my belt, I've retrained my mind to know that when I get nervous before writing, that means I'm on my game, totally focused and alert, ready for anything, and I dig in and start clacking those keys.
I know I can always hit delete on those words that carry those negative feelings, but guess what, peeps? I never need to, because it's just my fertile mind playing with me, prepping me for the task ahead.
*You need to retrain your mind.*
You need to acknowledge the fear.
Say Hello to it. Welcome it back.
Carry it with you to the paper or keyboard and ride those jittery feelings right through to those first sentences like the water tubes they are that only end up crashing onto the shore, into nothingness, and you laugh at the fantastic ride you just survived!
This is YOUR chance to take an adventurous ride with your mind.
Are you game? Follow me. Let's go surfin'!
Try this tactic, and comment below.
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