For The Sake Of Your Writing, Become Friends With Fear.

Art For Art's Sake: Part 22

Photo by Michal Matlon on Unsplash

Fear goes hand in hand with Creativity.

Creativity means to create something into existence. When you make something, of course, you won't know how it'll turn out. And therefore, it is natural to be worried and anxious, to feel fear, for our creative endeavour.

Some of the fears you might face throughout your writing journey are -

Fear Of Money.

Fear Of Failure.

Fear Of Rejection.

Fear Of Not Having Time.

Fear Of Running Out Of Time.

Fear Of Others Surpassing You.

Fear Of Not Being Good Enough.

Fear Of Not Knowing What To Write.

Fear Of Writing Again After A Success.

Fear Of Not Finishing What You Started.

Fear Of Not Having Enough Experience.

Fear Of What If You're In The Wrong Genre.

Fear Of Not Living Up To Your Own Standards.

Fear Of Calling Yourself A Writer.

And despite them, you must keep writing your book. Why? Because fear isn't going anywhere.

"Your fear will always be triggered by your creativity, because creativity asks you to enter into realms of uncertain outcome, and fear hates uncertain outcome." - Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic

Whether you like it or not, fear is part of the bargain to being a writer. Not only that, but also in being a human being. Never in your life will you not think of some stressful and anxious thoughts. And it will happen because there is a part of you that will never like not knowing how the end result will look.

Why do we feel this fear? Because we love and care about our Creativity like it's our own child and don't want it to get hurt. It's vulnerable and fragile (but not weak; there's a difference), and it grew out of our hearts. Therefore we don't want its heart to be broken - either by us or someone else.

So what can we do about it? You become friends with fear.

You accept fear as it is - a little beeping machine ensuring you don't fall off the cliff. You accept its worry, thank it for making you notice it, and then try to understand where it is coming from. You sit down with your fear and work through each other's concerns. You figure out why you feel these certain fears. And then you figure out how to can work through it together.

Instead of letting fear make you stop writing, use it to clarify your writing path. Over time, as you relax into the writer in you, fear will also calm down.

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More in the Art For Art’s Sake series -

1. Your Job As A Writer Is To Write

2. Start Where You Are

3. To Build Your Writing Career, Start Small.

4. What Does It Mean To “Trust The Process?”

5. Consistency Will Help You Make A Breakthrough

6. You Must Stay Persistent With Your Creative Journey

7. Deliberate Practice Is The Key To Master The Craft Of Writing

8. Go Low, Slow And Steady. And You’ll Reach Your Writing Milestones Quicker.

9. Treat Your Art As An Experiment

10. If You Are Not Having Fun While Creating, You’re Doing It Wrong

11. Contrary To Popular Belief, Write For Yourself First

12. Comparison And Competition Will Hurt Your Writing

13. Rest Is Your Answer To A Productive Writing Session

14. Let Curiosity Lead Your Writing - And 2 Ways Of Doing It

15. You Need To Have Faith And Let Your Words Flow

16. Always Move On To Your Next Writing Project

17. Once You Choose To Become A Writer, You Are One For Life.

18. You Already Are A Writer. You Just Have To Identify As One To Yourself.

19. Breathe Life Into Your Writing Dream. Because If You Don’t, Who Will?

20. My Dear Writer, You Are Doing Your Best. Stop Beating Yourself Up.

21. Writing A Book Is Like Baking A Cake.

22. For The Sake Of Your Writing, Become Friends With Fear.

23. Give Writing The Time On Your Clock And The Loyalty Of Your Heart.

24. Nourish Your Writer Soul And Take Care Of Your Inner Creative Well.

25. Keep Logic, Ego And Rationality Out Of Your First Draft.