Writing can be terrifying; publishing, more so. You come to the blank page, and expectations build. You’re supposed to put words down? What if they aren’t good words? What if you can’t find anything to write? What if nobody wants to hear what you have to say?
What if, what if. The question reverberates, like a kick drum flaring inside your chest. Maybe you should quit now, close the laptop, put away the notebook. You have writer’s block. It’s a valid excuse, right? You have chores to do: the windows need washed, a blouse needs ironed.
Stop. If you mean to be a better writer, accept the fear. Writing is scary. It will always be scary. Acknowledge the fact. Get comfortable with it.
Also, a secret: writer’s block is a myth. You can always write something, even if it’s awful. That’s the trick of being a writer. You write horrible, no-good words and make them pretty later. Writing is revision. You occasionally have days where the words flow and need little editing, but they mostly trickle. You see one good word for every three bad ones.
Another secret: quit worrying about perfect, pristine words and just write. Start somewhere. Borrow a line from an author you admire. Write about how you’re afraid you’ll write nothing good. Make up a story about the opossum that lives under the backyard shed. Write about not knowing what to write. Write and write some more.
Writing is a muscle. The more you exercise it and stop giving into anxiety, the easier it’ll become. That doesn’t mean you’ll write good words, but it does mean you’ll sit in the chair and write—no matter how you feel about the words or yourself.
You’ll accept the fear and take control of it because you are a better writer. You only had to be told you were. Now, go write some words.
Image: David Russo (Creative Commons)