I haven’t been overly productive recently. Certainly not with the whole writing thing.
I told you I was seeking balance, and had a couple of other projects on the go. While that’s true, it’s not the whole story.
This is:
I’m terrified.
What if I’m not any good at this thing that I love to do?
What if I am good – what if my first project does really well? How will I ever follow that up?
What if I just can’t finish this?
What if absolutely no one wants to hear what I have to say? (Not even my mother! She’d buy the book – she’d even force herself to read it – but I’m sure she won’t enjoy it. She hates fantasy, and I can’t seem to write anything else).
What if I never figure out what I want to say? (Full disclosure: I just want to write – I have tons of ideas, but I don’t know that I have a clear message at this point).
What if it’s easier/better/less painful to wonder what I could have been than it is to fail?
Yep, quaking puddle of terrified goo, here!
Well, coincidentally, a few days ago, I received an emailed resource from Tim Grahl, who has made a career of helping writers. It’s all about his tools for addressing these sorts of amorphous, oogley-boogley fears. While I can’t say that I heard anything I haven’t previously told myself, it has been awhile since I’ve done a major Fear Confrontation and Intervention, so I haven’t told myself this stuff in awhile. It was good to hear it in a slightly different way from a different voice. You, too, can take advantage of his words of wisdom at the following link:
It was worth my time. It may well be worth yours.