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17 Ways to Conquer the Fear that is Keeping You From Writing


Lie to yourself. Tell yourself that no one will ever see what you are writing on.
Write by hand so that it feels less permanent.
Make sure you do not tell anyone (including close family members, friends or your agent) about your current project until you feel more confident about it. Not always possible, I admit.
Have a secret project to work on even while you are working on a contracted one.
Close the door and turn out the lights while you write.
Write a project under a pseudonym (even if it is made up).
Keep yourself surrounded by good reviews, nice cards, or other things that remind you of your successed.
Remind yourself that anxiety is just energy your body is storing, ready to be used. It feels the same as excitement. Try to think of it as excitement.
Write out your fears, or the negative words that echo in your mind, and then crumple them up and throw them away.
Learn how to divide your mind so that you don’t pay attention to the fearful parts while you write.
Develop a routine, same time, same place, same drink, same music, which you always repeat to get you into a “writing mood.”
Write something easy to get started.
Tell yourself you are only going to do a little editing today. Then maybe if you feel like it, you can move on to writing more.
Write someone who has told you that you are a bad writer into a story and make something bad happen to them.
Do some yoga or deep breathing exercises.
Write a story for your inner, frightened child where a fearful child conquers fear and triumphs over evil.
Write your Newbery acceptance speech.
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Published on October 06, 2014 06:36
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