Being afraid to write is not a sin.
In fact, it’s one of the most common reasons why we as creative writers don’t write more and sometimes don’t write at all.
There are several different ways that these fears present themselves. One of the most common is the feeling that you might be wasting your time working on the wrong creative writing project.
Here’s what this fear sounds like and what you can do to start overcoming it:
“I’m afraid of wasting time writing.
The time I spend writing is very valuable. What if I spend 3 months writing a book, only to find out at the end that the ideas I had weren’t as strong as I thought? Also, the characters that seemed so interesting in my head, came off as one-dimensional and uninspiring on the page. I don’t think it’s worth continuing.
What a waste of 3 months writing!”
How to overcome fear:
The crucial point to remember is:
Time spent writing is never wasted time.
Every word you write with good creative intentions is valuable because it teaches you more about how you write, why you write, and how you can write even better.
Sometimes, ironically, the writing projects that seem like a waste of time when you’re stuck in the middle of them are actually the ones that help you focus in a clear new direction that you might not have found otherwise.
So even though the end “product” it wasn’t how you expected, the experience of writing it will add to your creative writing experience and make you a more experienced, focused, and richly creative writer.
This is one of the most common fears we have as creative writers and it can slow us down dramatically when it takes hold.
How has this fear manifested itself in your life as a creative writer?
What steps can you take, starting today, to reduce your impact?
