Writer’s Fear

 

The depth of truth in this quote struck me at my core. I am not one who gets writers block often. Even if I get what I perceive as “Writer’s block,” it is usually on the “Filler” parts of a novel. I just need to pause, guzzle my coffee, and follow my mind down the endless vortex of ideas, to find the correct fit.

In fact I use to think I had undiagnosed ADD because I would have ten writing projects going at one time. It was a friend of mine – who happens to be an editor – who calmed my fears by explaining that it was actually a good thing. Having several projects helps the creative juices flow and makes it less likely for writer’s block to happen.

That said, their are days, not necessarily where I get writer’s block, but where I feel like I am writing my head against the proverbial wall. Everything I write is crap. It could be written in pig latin with the amount I comprehend it. I will look at other’s writing, or read books, and be wonder why the H.E double toothpick can I not write like that?

Well I can’t because their is only one of that author and one of me and not to get all zen, we are all unique in our life experiences. Those experiences are what shape us. Shape our tone. Shape our stories.

Our writing is our emotion. It is what we feel deeply. As the above quote says, many times it IS our insecurities flowing across those pages. It is our dreams, our own parallel universes. It is our feelings in the purest sense. It is what we can not always say aloud, but we can write it instead. It is what makes us vulnerable, but also powerful as writers. It is our emotion that our readers will connect with.

Sometimes we have to allow our nifty albeit frustrating defense mechanism, the writer’s block, to step in. Let it protect us from overwhelming us. In taking that pause we allow ourselves to reconnect on a deeper level.

Sending our works out into the world is horrifying. They are our paper children. But in doing so, we are conquering our fear, and that, as an artist, is incredibly powerful. Our insecurities can hinder us, but they also lead us to creating our greatest works.

Which is why, we can not let fear dictate, but must push past with a pen and continue to follow our creative souls.