3 Common Types of Writing Fears that You Need to Overcome
Getting yourself started on any project is not easy.
We’ve all experienced the fear of writing at one point, especially as beginner writers. When this happens, the mind fails to come up with something to write about.
So when you show up at your desk and get to it, you end up gazing at the blank page because you can’t get any idea out of your head. From time to time, you find yourself sitting and stewing about it.
For many beginner writers, they don’t know how to get themselves started. In a way, getting started can often make your head feel like it’s going to explode. And you end up overthinking it. This can make you feel less inadequate and spectacularly incapable.
When I was starting out, I would spend a considerable amount of my time doing research, and this often led me to the rabbit hole of meaningless internet searches. In the midst of all this, I’d become a muddle of confusion, and fear would result in a writing paralysis.
Fear is a powerful and vibrant element. So, when we fall prey to its whims and allow fear to work overtime in us, it will eventually cripple us.
It whispers to us that the only remedy is to give in to its demands and leaves us to struggle with the ability to think clearly and deeply.
It also creates this ever-present stream of self-criticism that reprograms the brain to work against us. And we start considering ourselves inept writers and begin believing we can’t produce content that can make us look smart and trustworthy.
When fear overpowers you, it also debilitates you. If you bow to the fear of writing, you’re ensuring that you never reach your goals. You’ll never write that blog post, and you’ll never craft better content. All because you were too frightened.
Here are three common challenges that stop first-time writers and how to survive the surge of fear.
Let’s roll.
1.I’m Not Good Enough
When writing for the first time out, any aspiring freelance writer tends to bow to the whims of self-slandering remarks.
“Right now, I don’t consider myself much of a writer.”
“I’m too young to shed writing that that’s going to show something more inspired and which readers can trust.”
“My writing is barfy and not interesting enough.
Or
“I don’t have the chops to write well.”
These and other aspects of that sentiment have stifled too many creative minds before they even got the chance to show up at their desks and get to it.
It’s a pervasive fear based on rumors and ideas about the significance of observing the rules of good sportsmanship in writing so that your craft can work.
For you to be classified as a writer doesn’t necessarily translate into writing with the great flowery language or gravitas of the writer you happen to admire most.
Instead, as Ann Handley states in her book, Everybody Writes, you bear the responsibility of getting to the essence of what makes your favorite writer’s work tick.
You can overcome this challenge by coming away with an understanding you don’t need to have an ultra-smart brain or great talent to get started. Anyone can become a writer if they got the will, courage, and eagerness to write better and more effectively.
So it helps to keep at it, even when it feels like a death march.
They’re Going To Judge Me
No matter how hard you try, you must face and get used to criticism and judgment as a writer.
When you ask your beta readers to read your draft and offer suggested improvements, there’s a good chance the feedback won’t always mention how brilliant you’re.
When you email your latest draft to a select group of people to read your work, you witness this fear lurking somewhere in a corner, ready to take up residence in your consciousness.
So. When you fail to send it because theirs is an inner voice saying you’re a crappy writer, and the work is awful, that’s fear of criticism holding you back.
Since sowing letters onto an empty page is a painstaking effort, it becomes apparent you need to get the work out there. Said another way, let the world take a look at your creation and let them judge it in all its ugly imperfections.
Hearing criticism will help you to get back to it if the work needs some improvements. This will enable you to shape it into something strong and powerful and more respectable.
It’ll also help keep writing paralysis at bay.
They’re Going to Reject My Work
As a freelance writer be ready to deal with rejection. It is just part of the process.
So, when you start as a freelance writer, rejection will most likely come via email.
Trust me, when your first pitch doesn’t get an assignment, you’ll sulk and curse and second-guess everything you’ve done with your life.
And the thing is, nothing kills a writer’s morale than witnessing the “killing” of a craft that he or she has worked so hard for.
Most importantly, it bears noting that any rejection is a typical experience. Successful freelance writers, as well as best-selling authors, were once got rejected. What this means is that individuals who succeed get rejected.
By showing up at your desk and getting to it, you dial down the fear of writing. While you receive a rejection from different quarters, others will embrace it.
So it helps to find a way to love rejection because it can teach you valuable lessons.
As you strike out on your own, you’ll also learn how to cope with rejection after rejection. In the end, you’ll find the courage to crack on with other writing projects.
So the next client you pitch might be the start of your freelancing success.
If you learn to live and cope with rejection, it’ll assist you in purging the rough spots. And the world eventually becomes yours.
