7 Fears of the Writer | Believe in Yourself

Fears of the Writer are real.

I have always been a writer.  In high school, I was the editor of a youth magazine in my community.  I wanted to go to journalism school and become an investigative reporter.  Life started, I fell in love, got married, had a bunch of kids and the rest, they say is history.

Now, I am a writer.

Say it with belief!

I ………… am…………… a……………..writer……………..

I am a writer.  And I love it!

This process of writing is a strange one tho.  The creativity, the thinking, the rapid typing of words that often times just flow from my fingers thru the keyboard without intentional thought.  It is truly an amazing experience.

And yet, writing is not without its struggles.

I have recently become aware of a few negative thoughts, emotions, even fears, that are associated with writing and I would like to share the 7 fears of the writer with you today.

• W – Worry

  I worry about everything I write.  I worry about the topic.  I worry about the content.  I worry about your interest level.   I worry about if it’s too personal, not personal enough.  I worry I made a huge blunder.  I worry.

• R – Real
  

  This may surprise you, but it is often scary to get real.  To be real with you requires me to dig deep, be vulnerable and is often times difficult.  To you, it might be an interesting point of view or a funny anecdote I am sharing, but to me, it may feel like I’m lying my heart out on a platter for dissection.
  The thing is, being real is super important to me.  My whole mission is to be real with you in hopes that my life and the things I write about might encourage you in your own life.

• I – Interest
  

  Is anyone out there?  Is anyone interested in what I have to say?  Does anyone really care what I think about a book I read or my holiday mantle?  Sometimes it is very hard to know.  With social media and analytics, I can see how many “hits” there are.  The occasional comment or the number of shares and likes give me an inkling but…
  Don’t get me wrong, feedback is NOT the reason I am writing.  In fact, I truly believe that God uses whatever I have to offer and often times without me even knowing.  And yet…  sometimes I wonder.

• T-Technique
  

  Writing is such a personal experience.  There are so many different styles and voices to choose from.  But there is also technique involved and the rules are constantly changing.  For example, every time I start a sentence with ‘and’ or ‘but’ I am pulled back into high school English.  “Never, ever, ever start a sentence with ‘and’ or ‘but’.”
  And yet…  blogging is a conversation.  The sentences don’t always make sense grammatically.  But they do make sense conversationally.

• I- I
  

  The funny thing about blogging is that it may seem like it’s all about me.  All about what I want to write, what I want to share, what I want to create.   It isn’t.  It’s really all about you.
  You see, if I continually focus on what I want, I won’t have any readers.  And without readers, what is the point of writing. (well that is an entirely different blog post, right?)

• N-Nothing
  

  What if I have nothing to say?  What if I run out of ideas?  What if there is just… nothing?

• G- GOD IS GOOD
  

  Here is the answer to all of the fears of the writer.  The real reason I write – because I believe that God has given me a voice.  I believe that through Him I have things to share.  I believe He will provide me with the words when I have none.

 

I am a writer.  

I choose to take on the challenge of these struggles.  

I choose to rely on God to guide me in my choices.  

I choose to continue writing.

I am a writer.