Are You Afraid of Being Seen Trying?

You're not a bad writer - you're just scared.

Recently, I came across a note from entrepreneur and podcast host, Myleik Teele that said, “The only way to overcome your fear of being seen “trying” is to let yourself be seen trying.” It was very poignant as we were launching into our bi-weekly co-working series “Craft Talk & Co-Work” and I was worried, frankly, about how it would be perceived.

I’d built a solid community in Philadelphia for Permission to Write and in 2021, decided to relocate across the country to Los Angeles. After we all climbed out of the grips of the pandemic, slowly we were building up to wanting to host something in person again after years of shifting all of our programming online. Enter our residency at Sip & Sonder, for which we’re immensely grateful to have been selected.

But I was afraid of what it meant to be starting over, in a brand new city, and trying to re-establish ourselves as a safe place for writers to convene and build community and accountability with one another. It felt as if no one knew my work here yet, and I was literally starting from scratch. But as the first guest walked into the coffee shop on a Sunday morning, I was reminded of why I will always try.

The person who has the things that you admire or aspire to have, is not necessarily better, smarter, or faster than you. The difference may be that they didn’t allow the fear of trying to overtake them. They felt the fear and decided to step out anyway.

That story that’s been tucked away into the corner of your mind, is it still there because of fear? Is it there because you know you want to be a writer, but you’ve never seen exactly how that can be done? No one around you is a writer and so it seems impossible to you. Are you afraid of being seen “trying” to be a writer?

Ocean Vuong, American poet and essayist, recently discussed the idea of “cringe culture” and the gaze under which many young writers are coming to their craft. That their fear of being judged is truly outweighing their ability to show up authentically on the page.

It is a disservice to ourselves as writers to as Nikki Giovanni put it, “write with that person over your shoulder,” that critic that aborts the message before it can fully take form.

"The person who has the things that you admire or aspire to have, is not necessarily better, smarter, or faster than you. The difference may be that they didn't allow the fear of trying, overtake them."

Let me tell you something about me bursting onto the internet through a blogspot just because I felt like I had something to say. I did it because I knew I wanted to write things and figured this would be the best way to get someone to read what I’d written. A lot of people saw me trying. And I would be embarrassed to read some of that stuff now, but without that work, I wouldn’t be where I am now. Which is humbly still building towards the fiction writing career I want, however, that writing opened doors I could not have even imagined myself walking through.

In the moments when I’ve been most afraid, I’ve asked myself, “Are you going to let such a silly thing as fear get in the way?” We get this one chance at this life thing, and writing is a true love and passion for me. Reading is a hell of a good time, in my opinion. And I want to be among the people who truly had something to say and recorded it. Imagine fear getting in the way of what, for me, feels like a true “God assignment.” A real call on my life because as someone who has one million different ideas and has tried so many things and moved on from a lot of them, writing has been that consistent thing that I show up for every single time.

That first week of our series, I had to remind myself that regardless of who walked through the doors of Craft Talk & Co-Work, the mission had not changed. My work through this community is to help other writers get their work out into the world. To provide some sort of map from going to wanting to be a writer to actually being a writer. To help provide resources for the development of their craft, opportunities to publish, and create a safe space for them to actually do the work. Whether that is one person or one thousand people, that is all that matters. We have done that and will continue to do that.

I hope that you can get out of your own head about the work you want to do and how you want your art to show up in the world. And until then, we’re here to help you, here to cheer you on to overcome the doubt and the fear and replace it with craft, wisdom, and the support from a community that has been where you are.

Love, and always more love,

Ashley, Founder/Executive Director

Highlighted Writing Opportunity

The Spruceton Inn is accepting applications for their Artist Residency. Artist Residents will receive a no-cost, 5-night stay in one of their Kitchenette rooms in early November. (Stays are Tuesday to Sunday You will be able to request a preferred week once notified of your acceptance.) Plenty of time and space to get into a creative groove on your own, plenty of time and space to connect with other Artists too! Applications are open August 1st through August 14th (11:59pm EST). APPLICATIONS SENT BEFORE OR AFTER THIS DATE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

PTW Books

Savvy Summers & The Sweet Potato Crimes, Sandra Jackson-Opoku

People Like Us, Justin Mott (Aug. 5)

Sunbirth, An Yu (Aug. 5)

The Re-Write, Lizzie Damilola Blackburn (Aug. 12)

Loved One, Aisha Muharrar (Aug. 12)

The Grand Paloma Resort, Cleyvis Natera (Aug. 12)

These Memories Do Not Belong to Us, Yiming Ma (Aug. 12)

Full of Myself, Austin Channing Brown (Aug. 26)

You can purchase all titles through our storefront on Bookshop.org. PTW receives a small affiliate commission that continues to support our efforts.

Amplified

Interested in amplifying something of yours? A project, book, event, or conference that lends itself to an audience of black writers and writers of color? Feel free to email us at hello@permissiontowrite.com.

Join us on Thursday, August 7th, 5pm PT/8pm ET for a candid conversation with celebrated author Bernice L. McFadden as we explore the literary artistry behind First Born Daughters. This conversation explores McFadden’s creative choices, highlighting the narrative structure, stylistic precision, and cultural depth that define this unforgettable memoir.

RSVP to Discussion

Are you in the LA area? Join us for the next session of our Craft Talk & Co-Work series featuring author of SWEET, SOFT, PLENTY RHYTHM Laura Warrell on August 3rd. She will walk us through revision strategy before we jump into dedicated co-working time. Bring at least one written page for the planned exercise.

RSVP HERE: http://sipandsonder.com/events

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About PTW:

We nourish emerging Black fiction and nonfiction writers through writing workshops, craft classes, and vibrant digital and in-person community spaces. Through membership we strengthen the artistic voices of Black writers by connecting them with publishing opportunities, submission calls, and career advancement in the literary industry.