10 Scariest things about writing

I owe my involvement with writing novels to NaNoWriMo 2003. It was then that I realized I have a lot of stories inside aching to come out.

I'm compelled to write. But writing, for me, is also scary. I know a lot of writers who agree, including George Orwell.

Okay, so I don’t believe I’m driven by demons to write. Hopefully it’s the Holy Spirit Who inspires me. But I must write just as ducks must swim. I’m compelled to torture myself with the literary arts. And while I love this gift, and the places it takes me, there are days when I agree with Dorothy Parker who said, “I hate writing, I love having written.”

Here are 10 things I find the most frightening about writing:

• Fear of being inept and amateurish. What if my writing is really bad? What if I can’t play with the big kids in this writing thing? What if I’m too shallow? Too glib or cliche? Fact is, I probably am, but I’m the only writer who can write like me, and that’s something I have to offer that no one else does.

• Fear of not being smart enough. This relates to the first fear. I think great writers are geniuses. Seriously. I envy successful writers because they are extremely clever and smart. Will I ever be as smart and knowledgeable? Do I even have the aptitude? The answer is that there are a lot of writers much, much smarter than I am or ever will be. And maybe, just maybe, there are writers I'm smarter than. But if I'm called to write, then there's a reason. There must be someone who needs to hear what I have to say. And if I can influence or encourage even one life--isn't that reason enough to obey the call?  

•  Fear of making mistakes. Last I checked, Jesus Christ was the only perfect human Who walked the earth. And I certainly don't have the qualifications to be the Messiah, so this fear is absolutely unreasonable. Then again, I never claimed to be reasonable.
  

•  Fear of being unoriginal. This fear is based in a lie. God's Word tells me that "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun" Ecclesiastes 1:9. Basically there are only seven major plots: 1) Overcoming the Monster, 2) Rags to Riches, 3) The Quest, 4) Voyage and Return, 5) Comedy, 6) Tragedy, 7) Rebirth. There are no original ideas, just variations.

•  Fear of not selling the story.  What if my idea is so stupid and the writing so bad that even my agent won't look at it? Yes, this poltergeist taunts me on my dark days when the words won't flow.

 

• Fear of not creating the story that's in my head. That's when I freeze and don't know how to put the words on the page and procrastinate by playing online marbles. The only way to work through this fear is to vomit up on the page. Words, not actual body fluids. That might ruin the laptop.

• Fear of rejection. I hate rejection. I have issues with rejection as an abandoned child and the thought of being rejected is horrifying. But to go through life thinking everything I do will be liked by everyone is unrealistic. The fact is, I will be rejected. I must learn to accept it and learn to take it like a big girl. To fight this fear I often have more than one project I'm working on so I can put my focus on something other than the rejection.

 

• Fear I'm too old and irrelevant. I didn't get started early enough in writing seriously--or so I tell myself when this writing gig isn't going smoothly. But then I remember that Laura Ingalls Wilder published her first book at age 65, and Frank McCourt (Ashley's Ashes) when he was 66. And I'm a decade and some years younger than they, so maybe there's hope.

 

•  Fear I'll give up.  Ironic isn't it? I'm afraid of quitting because I won't have the strength to keep writing through all the rejections and failures. Sometimes I wonder about Harper Lee--why didn't she write another book? Was she too afraid? Like me? And will I be too afraid to keep putting myself out there? What if I quit right before the moment when everything works and a masterpiece is created? The thought makes me shudder.

 

• Fear of failure on all fronts. Fear of failure is at the root of all the other fears, isn't it? To think I'll never fail is a lie. Lies and fears are bedfellows. I will fail. I will not always succeed. If you're going to write, you've got to be at peace with that.

It takes prayer, tenacity and courage to be a writer. I can only face this art I love with prayer and the grace of God. His gift of tenacity keeps me writing on the hard days. And courage keeps me submitting work after countless rejections.

 

I'm not the best writer. I may never win a Pulitzer or Newberry or Christie. But if I obey and use my gift to the glory of God, that's all He asks of me. If I quit striving to shine the brightest in the history of the world, and just shine my brightest, the fear and stress will be much more manageable and I won't be tempted to believe the lies that fear spouts.

One day I hope to be able to rest 100% in the grace He provides without all this wrestling. But that's the nature of living on this earth. Until heaven, I'll keep praying to keep up the good fight and remember that His Love conquers fear and His Strength will see me through.

One. Word. At. A. Time.

Tweet this: What scares you most about writing?

Karla Akins is an award-winning, prolific writer of books, short stories, plays, poems, songs, and countless nonfiction articles. Her biography for middle grades, Jacques Cartier, went #1 in its category on Amazon. Her first fiction novel, The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots, was released in 2013. Her short stories have been published in several magazines including Havok and Splickety. When she's not reading she's writing. When she's not writing she is zooming along on her motorcycle looking for treasure. Learn more at KarlaAkins.com.

Learn more at KarlaAkins.com

Antidote for Fear of Success

The list of hurdles a writer must overcome can be long and familiar such as writer’s block or deadlines. One I’ve rarely seen addressed is fear of success, yet I suspect this may be particularly insidious especially for Christian writers.

The heart of the matter is quite personal. What if success changes me?

We’ve all seen the movies and read the stories of how success changed plain, simple people. What if success changes me for the worse? What if I forsake the God I love for mammon? What if I lose my family in the hectic schedule fame brings? What if I can’t deal with the loneliness of a publicity tour? What if I get caught up in harmful relationships or habits? What if I become demanding, arrogant, and prideful? What if success puts my family in the public eye? Does God want me to succeed? Am I being compelled by my pride? As a Christian, is it wrong to long for success?

The prescription for relief from fear of success for the starting writer is the same as for the established writer and the same for the writer with many books, high sales and a well-known name. It’s a seven-fold prescription:

1. Put God first.

2. Trust Him to give you all you that is good for you.

3. Read His Word daily.

4. Stop to love on Him and listen.

5. Do not entertain ungodly counsel.

6. Hold onto your integrity through decisions and actions that honor Him.

7. Remember the formula for success has not changed: God first, family next, and other ministry, including writing ministry, third.

Men and women of God who made the greatest impact on the world spent the most time with God. The One who created time still makes everything fall into place, still creates enough time to accomplish what he has given you to do, still makes things happen or delays them so that his will might be done, and that we might acknowledge our dependence on him.

True success does not involve pulling of bootstraps on one’s own. True success is living by Jesus words: “I am the vine and you are the branch. Without me, You can do nothing that will count for anything in God’s kingdom.”

In every eventuality, God has already provided. That is because he knows us. He understands our tendencies and fears. Fears that are not from him as 2 Timothy 1:7 states God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear. He’s given us the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. Here's some of God's provision:

·         Meditate on and speak continually from God’s Word …then you shall be prosperous, and have good success. Joshua 1:8

·         Wisdom starts with a deep abiding respect of the one supreme LORD Prov. 9:10

·         The LORD gives wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6-7

·         Wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and readily available, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. James 3:17

·         Stay securely in God’s truth and then you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. John 2:24

·         Let the Lord be magnified. He takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant. Psalm 35:27b

·         As My Word goes forth, it shall not return to Me void… and it shall prosper as in as I the LORD intend it. Isaiah 55:11

·         I cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I, the LORD, will give them treasures. Prov. 8:21

Mary Allen

 This is what I know personally. " I sought the Lord. He heard me and delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 34:4.

Until next month, walk with God.

Facing our Fears by JoAnn Durgin

Do you remember the first time you felt afraid? I mean really afraid? I do. Even though I was barely over a year old, I can recall my entire house shaking—photos on the wall rattling and my crib moving across the floor—and the sheer panic I experienced. When I heard the ear-piercing, loud whistle from the nearby railroad tracks, I just knew a big old scary monster was coming to get me. But instead of cowering in my crib and screaming to get out, I took action. What did I do? Well, I somehow managed to propel myself over the high bars of my crib onto the hardwood floor and then ran into my parents’ room with my favorite blankie clutched in my hand. My dad once told me this went on for months. At first he worried I’d seriously damage my noggin (that’s still up for debate), but he hated to “cage me in.” He told me I never cried but just climbed in and curled up beside him. You see, it was there I found my safe place, my comfort and protection.

As I’ve gotten older, like many people, I’ve become more afraid of heights. Not that I was ever fond of them. When I visit a very tall building and step out on the observation deck, I usually hesitate to go to the outside railing or wall. The thought of that glass walkway above the Grand Canyon scares the daylights of me. Although fascinated by the beautiful view from atop something so high up in the air (and the Grand Canyon is one of the most amazing natural formations I’ve ever seen), it makes me realize how small I am when I look down from such a dizzying height. Question to ponder: is my true fear one of heights or the actual fear of falling?

Flying in an airplane and is one of my favorite things in life—that feeling of power and speed as the magnificent, manmade bird lifts off the ground and soars into the air. In the case of an airplane, I have something surrounding me in a cocoon of steel protection. On the flip side, roller coasters absolutely scare me to death. I’ve always avoided them until I decided to try Space Mountain at Disney World many years ago. To this day, I have no idea what possessed me. Disney represents safety and security, right? Mickey and Minnie wouldn’t steer me wrong. I actually loved it (but still won’t ever go on another roller coaster), but I think it’s because Space Mountain is completely dark. You experience the speed and the ups and downs yet you can’t see what lies beyond the rails. Again, a question to ponder: is it (again) the fear of falling or perhaps the fear of what’s out there beyond my comfort zone?

Writing my latest novel, Catching Serenity, took me through a gamut of emotions—a veritable roller coaster of ups, downs and all-arounds. As an author, don’t you love it when writing characters and their stories stretch you, test and challenge you? As much as any character I’ve ever written, Serenity McClaren has faced a number of issues in her life, including profound loss and rejection. So many times in penning her story, I paused and wondered how I would react given identical circumstances. Honestly? A few times, I couldn’t presume to know how I’d personally react. But it made me think, and as much as anything else, I want my readers to think while still being entertained and gleaning spiritual truths when they read one of my books.

As much as the issues we face, it’s our response to events and people that matters and shapes our life. Serenity has been through so much yet she’s much stronger than she realizes. She’s been deeply hurt by circumstances in her life that might cause many people to turn away from God. Before these things happened, she didn’t know the Lord. What’s interesting is that she finds Him in the midst of working through her pain. Like me curling up beside my dad, Serenity finds her security and comfort in a new relationship with Jesus. She ran away from home because she couldn’t stand the sadness, the loneliness and the pain. But as the story opens, she’s come back home to stare her fears in the face. Bolstered by her new faith, she recognizes the only way she’ll be able to truly live again with purpose and meaning is to conquer those fears.

 

Have you ever had a secret you were dying to tell someone but couldn’t for whatever reason? Psychologist Jackson Ross is falling in love with Serenity. He also recognizes that until she finds answers to what happened that sent her running away from home, she won’t be free to fully love him. Then he unlocks the key to her past and discovers the shocking truth. Within Jackson’s grasp is the ability to set her free from her past. However, sworn and bound by ethics and professional standards, he can’t tell her and it’s tearing him up inside. Jackson’s greatest fear? He’ll lose Serenity’s friendship and love no matter what he does. A believer in Christ for a number of years, Jackson turns to the One he knows can shoulder his burden and give him the desires of his heart.

Ultimately, I believe it’s all about trust. The theme verse in Catching Serenity is Psalm 18:2 which says: The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Have you ever had a time in your life when you’ve had to stare down fears or forces you felt were working against you? How did you react and what was the outcome? I’d encourage you to ponder that today with the knowledge there’s no greater comfort or protection than that which comes from the One who laid down His very life for you and for me.

Blessings, friends (and thanks for allowing me a little shameless plug for my next book).

JoAnn Durgin

Matthew 5:16