Qualities of a Writer Part III: Courage

[image error] cour·age [kur-ij, kuhr-] –noun 1. the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.

Writing takes a great deal of courage at every stage. I have blogged about courage before, but I think it's an important quality for a writer to cultivate. It's worth talking about again. How about this quote:  

Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway. ~John Wayne

That pretty much sums up my writing journey. I was afraid to start writing, afraid my ideas were no good, that I didn't know what I was doing, that I was doomed to failure. I was afraid to let anyone read what I had written. I was afraid to submit it. I was afraid to keep going after I'd been rejected.

But you know what? I did all those things anyway. Writing meant too much for me to give up just because it was scary.

How about you? Do you have any fears about writing? How do you find your courage?