I realize I need to take a step back here. So often I’m looking towards helping you complete your work, getting it over the publishing finish line, and keeping your work and brand in the market after the fact. But in recent developments, some of you have shared via the What’s App group that you may still be in the starting blocks.
In order to be published, you have to first get into the ring. But if you are allowing fear and doubt to hold you back from even producing, well, that’s something we need to examine.
I’m sure we’ve talked a bit about this in previous iterations of this newsletter, but a little reinforcement never hurts. I think you first need to ask yourself, what are you afraid of?
That your vulnerability will be the source of backlash?
That you’re not good enough?
That you won’t be understood?
That you will fail?
Then, as my therapist would say, are any of these rational feelings? Look, you can’t help how people will react to the things you write, so that’s a legitimate stumbling block for many writers. However, most of the other fears we have are a bit negligible.
I don’t want to discount your feelings here, because they are very real if they are keeping you from showing up to the page. But I also want to help us with perspective, especially as someone who grew up in a city like Philly, where there is always clear and present danger. The pursuit of writing seems a little less daunting.
I do understand though, that putting yourself out there in any capacity can have its scary moments. That feeling doesn’t have to be fact and there are a few ways that I have found that you can help yourself move past the paralysis to the page.
