When fear is the bridge

Fear is a big one for writers.

There. I’ve said it. (Not that you didn’t know already)

You know how it is: you write, and you write, and you write… by yourself, for yourself and your own enjoyment, and that’s all fine, good and comfortable. Hooray!

Then.

You think about getting your writing out into the world. You might show a friend, or your partner. You might pitch an article, or sell a story. (Go you!) But. Quite often before you get to that point, you’ll stop, and find yourself distracted before you even get there. Suddenly your website needs an overhaul, all your socks need pairing, and you need to shampoo the cat.

Fear can manifest in many varied ways for writers, with procrastination as the number one.

I’d like to reframe fear a little today, just to see what happens.

Fear can be a bridge between where you are now, and where you want to be.

You might be thinking of taking the step of finding an editor to look over your manuscript. This is a large step, because it involves firstly acknowledging to yourself that you want your writing to be the best it can be when it goes out into the world. You’re also acknowledging that your writing is worth spending time and money on. And you’re acknowledging that you WANT to get it out there, and get people reading it.

Fear of all of those things is completely reasonable, because they’re scary things.

But it is also a great bridge. Fear will take you from where you are (scared of taking the steps to get out there) to where you want to go (feeling OK about taking your writing more seriously, working with editors, and spending time and money improving your writing).

If you’re in a position where you’re feeling fear, you’re stretching your comfort zone. And if you’re heading in a direction you want, then great! Fear when used in this way can point the way to the person (writer) you’re trying to become. If you’re trying to become a writer who gets their work out into the world, then fear will tell you when you’re taking steps that get you closer to your goal.

So rather than push it away, or ‘feel the fear and do it anyway,’ I’d recommend feeling the fear and bringing it closer, so that you know when you’re heading in the right direction. Use it to find the bigger goal you’re wanting to pursue, but are scared of. Then pursue it.  

Fear is the bridge that will take you to the other side, which is where you want to be.

So tell me: how is fear taking you where you want to go in your writing?