“Sometimes your destiny is wrapped up in a veil of fear to check if you really have the courage to face it.” – Marcus Hades

Fear is easily the greatest enemy to a writer. It steals time, confidence, and the desire to move forward. I’ve battled this enemy since the age of ten. There’ve honestly been times where fear was understandable: divorce, children, financial issues, personal safety, etc… Yet pushing the little upload button on my first story recently has managed to rank up there with the worst of them. It took years to finally do it, however all that time didn’t make it easier to do. How about we look at some ways to overcome them.

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” – Mark Twain

Finding a tribe who can help you see past your fear is paramount to overcoming your enemy. You can get lost in the pool of self-doubt, paralyzed by what ifs. You need a little cheering crew who can pull you from the brink of “I can’t”. That doesn’t mean that they must swoon over all that you do. It means you need those people who can be honest with you in the way that you need; tell you what ideas works, what direction this should take, what characters work, and so on.

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” – Charles R. Swindoll

What makes you different from any other writer out there? Sure, depending on who you’re comparing yourself to a few million dollars may be the difference, but in most cases there is nothing different. You put in the same long and thankless hours. You type or write longhand in weird places and inopportune times. You face rejection at every turn. If there is nothing different then what is holding you back? They just conquered that last hurdle of fear.

“It’s not the fear of writing that blocks people, it’s fear of not writing well; something quite different.” – Scott Berkun

You can pour over your work for years and there will still be something you want to change. There will always be something in hindsight that can make your story better. But there has to come a time where you are okay with what you have written down. Let your story sing. Besides, if you squeeze a story too hard you may lose its soul.

“Fear is felt by writers at every level. Anxiety accompanies the first word they put on paper in the last.” – Ralph Keyes

Say no to fear. Get out of your own way. Fear will always be there, but your destiny is just beyond it. Until next time have a writeous day!