Friday, May 3, 2013

Do you have Writer's Fright? You can fix it!

Is your mind racing, just thinking of what to write for your next story? You're not sure how to start, how to proceed and how to finish. Worse yet,  you're afraid of failure. I remember that feeling. It's horrible. The only thing that stayed in my little brain was that I could create something perfectly dreadful. I call it writer's fright. But then I remembered what my dad always told us. When I was afraid to start something, he' d say, "What's the worst that can happen?" Then he'd remind me that usually the worst thing doesn't pounce on you; it's something in between. If you're overcome by these nagging fears how can you chase them away?
  • The secret to getting ahead is getting started- This is a wise piece of advice from Mark Twain. I think the hardest part of writing something is starting. Once you take that big leap of faith, the rest will be easier. 
  •  Believe in yourself and you're half way there: Can you guess who said this? It was President Teddy Roosevelt. Sometimes it's tricky to believe you can actually accomplish your goal, especially if it's something you haven't tackled before. But we are all capable of doing much more than we ever expected. Just ponder on Teddy Roosevelt for a moment. He was a sickly child, who spent much of his day in bed. But instead of moping about that, he read books and increased his knowledge. He loved Science. He became president so he must have done something right to get to that point.
  • Set some short term goals for yourself:  Set some goals for yourself to help stay focused. Resolve to spend a certain amount of time on writing every day.
  • Reward yourself for your good work: Give yourself a little treat when you've reached your goals. Do something you love, whether it's walking, swimming, shopping, or anything else. This will build your confidence and refresh you.
  • Surround yourself with supporters: Surround yourself with people who encourage your efforts. That doesn't mean they can't give you constructive criticism. It would probably be helpful to you if someone pointe out things like; you might need more action here, or your might need lively dialogue there. But they should also remind you of your strong areas. That way, you'll be encouraged to strive for excellence, but you won't be overwhelmed with negative comments.
  • Once you finish, remind yourself what an amazing journey you've had: Stand back and admire your work. I'll bet you thought you'd never reach this point. But you surprised yourself. Congratulations on a job well done!

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for the uplifting post and reminding us we can do it!

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  2. You're welcome, Suzanne! I'm so happy it helped you and lifted your spirits. Enjoy the weekend and thanks for stopping by to read my blog and comment. It's always appreciated.

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