Writing Is Scary

Today I'm here to say this: writing is scary. It's not really the writing process that's scary so much as the releasing process. You know, the part where you let it go and let other people read it. And here's why:

• It's personal to you.
• You might get criticized.
• It might be hated.
• It might be loved.
• You might make someone mad.
• Etc. etc., por fin, amen. 

Really the list goes on and on.

I have so many things I want to write about, a list so long that even if I wrote furiously every second of every day for the rest of my life I'd never get it all down. And yet most days I spend hours sitting and staring at a blank screen. Because I'm scared.

And when I get scared it's like stacking cinder blocks between the creative part of my brain and my fingertips. Nothing gets by, the blocks don't budge, I'm stuck on a road with no outlet.

So how do we, as writers, overcome this fear? Well I think sometimes we just don't. We fight through it is more what we do. We force ourselves to live in the moment, let go of the what ifs, and kick those cinder blocks out of the way with Herculean effort. Day after day after day.

And then when the moment comes to release your creation to be read...well, it's scary as hell.

But then you remember that all the good stuff in life involves risk. And if you're to affect this world positively in any way through what you wrote, then you've got to learn to let it go.

I recently let chapter 1 of my book go to some beta readers. And there's nothing that shakes your confidence more than finally letting your baby go. Because you don't know what's going to come.

But you know what? It's ok. I'll be afraid, and I'll ride that feeling. And I'll take any feedback I receive as constructive and I'll work on improving my craft.

Because writing is a craft, isn't it? And don't we all have to risk failing a little bit before we can create a masterpiece?