How could fear possibly hold you back from writing? Could it be a fear of punctuation that makes you cautious and hesitant?
Are you afraid of being trapped between two quotation marks? Does an exclamation mark make you nervous? Do you suffer hopelessly from separation anxiety when your sentences seem riddled with commas? Are you tired of being an object? Do you still want to be a Proper Noun or does the fear of being screwed by some heartless verb keep you subjected and feeling like a lowly preposition?
While poor grammar skills may keep you from ever beginning that first novel the fear of flying might be playing a greater role. When I refer to fear of flying I am not talking about fears associated with air travel, like the fear of taking off or fear of a crash landing. I am thinking more like the fear of failing preventing any type of flight at all; fear of failure may be preventing you from ever even getting off the ground. What if your writing fails to attract an audience?
The bottom line simply put is you will never have the answers to these questions until you start the process. Will a rejection slip send you into a tailspin? It’s time to flip open that lap-top and taxi down the runway. It’s time to find out.
For a great many writers rejection is an integral part of a winning formula. Learning from your mistakes is one of the essential ingredients. Another fear that keeps your fingers from dancing across the keyboard is feelings of inadequacy. Am I good enough? Do I have something interesting to say? Employing a positive approach with this one will keep you stay grounded. The world is big and full of hungry readers waiting for a taste of something different.
Will I be revealing too much of myself through my characters? Will the neighbours look between the lines and see something that was never there to begin with? Let them do the math. That’s why they called it a book of fiction.
Creativity and imagination have brought you to this place. Be your own critic and listen to yourself. Writing mirrors your emotional fabric. Listen to every last word. But keep writing and have fun. It will never come back to haunt you.
