This may be hard to believe, but everyone has some fears about writing, whether it’s about completing a book, being perfect, or telling everyone that you are a writer. We all fear someone discovering that we made a mistake or that our plot sucks. No one wants to be laughed at for their dreams.
So why is it so much easier to admit that you want to be a dentist, for example, than a writer? I’ve always wondered that. Maybe it has to do with the nebulosity of the career path. Most careers take a pretty simple route with college/training, possible internship, and then career. The path of a writer is different. It can start at any time in our lives, doesn’t require training (though it’s always good to learn about whatever you want to do well), and can become either a fun hobby or a career. Like much of the arts, what you do with it depends on how much effort you put in. Results are uncertain. This could be the source of varied response when you tell people you want to write.
You wouldn’t be reading this if you weren’t at least somewhat interested in the prospect of writing, so let’s tackle some of those fears with simple actions.
Read
Inspire yourself to actually write by reading writers’ journeys. They are never dull. Find out how some of your favorite writers broke into the industry, and their stories may surprise you.
It’s rare that someone sets out to be a writer, completes their MA in creative writing, and sits down immediately to write the great American novel, a best-seller of course, one that will stand the test of time, one that the scholars will talk about throughout the ages. You’ll find some who started—and finished—penniless, unknown; that’s not inspiring, though, just realistic. Others began writing as a hobby, an escape. Still others were haunted by a character or an item whose story had to be told.
You know how you are always surprised when you find out that this actress used to be a physicist or that actor used to run a restaurant? You will be equally surprised by the variety of backgrounds for famous writers. Finding out that someone had a dream and gave it everything they could to make it happen always inspires me to push a little harder. I always think, “Wow, if they did it while dealing with all that stuff, then I can certainly do the same.”
So don’t worry about not having enough training, being too old, not having cheerleaders, or whatever keeps you from pounding away on your keyboard. Everyone has an obstacle. Right now, you are enough. If you have a story to write, just write it.
Write
Books are so long. How can I come up with enough to say? And I have to be perfect.
These thoughts likely keep many away from their computers.
If you’re afraid you will run out of ideas, don’t be. The more you write, the easier it gets. The more you write, the longer you will be able to write. You’ll get into your zone faster, and your focus will intensify. Trust me. I used to be the same way. Now, I can write for long stretches with only momentary pauses to think or rest my hands.
Planning helps with both the length of work issue and the perfection issue. Determine what the entire plot will be before you sit down to write the story. Write a paragraph of the plot, and then stretch it out into an outline of all the chapters. This will save you from rewriting the first chapter or so multiple times to fit with what you finally decided should happen. If you know what will happen in each chapter, then you can write each chapter like it’s an article, blog, or something else that you might be used to writing. It’s far less daunting to write 10 pages than it is to write 200.
No one started out a Stephen King, so don’t worry about perfection. Write what’s in your head. Get it all out. Then you can worry about polishing it. Accepting help along the way helps, too. Talk to a friend who understands your journey, a writing coach, an editor, whatever. Just make sure you get the support you need to keep you going and clean up your manuscript.
Start Small
When you get serious about writing a book, you have to let people know. This is part of your initial marketing. You should start a blog and a Facebook author or book page. Other social media can be handled as needed, depending on your interest. The blog and Facebook page are vital for keeping your audience updated on your progress and getting them interested in purchasing your book once it’s published.
Here’s how you can calm your fear: Did you know you can change your audience on Facebook? You can set posts on your personal page to only show to people you put in a “Close, Supportive Friends” group if you fear telling all of Facebook that you are writing. When you start your author/book page, only invite people who will be supportive till you are more confident; then you can invite others. If you start a group page, you can set it to “closed” and invite supportive friends. No one will be able to see your posts till you set the page to “public.”
As with most activities, breaking the writing process into manageable steps and finding support can help take the fear out of the process. Just take incremental steps toward your goal, and you will soon find yourself ready to write a novel.