Editing sevices for non fiction writing.

Overcoming the fear to get started

Writing is similar to extreme sports. It demands determination, intense training, pushing yourself to your limits and beyond — it takes courage. And it is not hard to pinpoint what holds a person back: fear.

“I’m afraid to fail.”

“Do I really have something to say?”

“What if they don’t like what I write?”

“Will anyone read my writing?”

“Now that I have told myself I want to be a writer, what if I can’t?”

Thinking about starting or continuing to the next level is petrifying and overwhelming. It’s enough to go back to teaching or nursing or selling insurance or watching Netflix.

What do I write about?

Once you have convinced yourself to write, the next question is what do you write about? It sounds like an easy question, but it is actually a difficult one.

It’s pretty easy to write about the pop-psychology stuff that floods the blog-sphere every day. What about writing multiple blog posts a day with click-bait titles? If one story a day makes money, then five stories a day will make five times as much. There is a real underside to the monetization of blogs and the fierce competition for readers. Is there anyone who will argue that five stories designed to goose the Google or Medium algorithms are better than one good story?

It is harder to write about what is in your heart, on your mind or in your soul. I think that is where the most powerful or inspiring stories come from, and the ones readers most want to read. These are the stories that take courage, and their dead-on honesty grabs and holds a reader's attention.

“Write what you know,” I keep hearing — an admonishment originally from Mark Twain. That takes courage because it means we are writing about our inner lives, our ex-partners, living with mental illness, caring for a sick parent or child, and all the other challenges and triumphs of human existence. Writing requires a fine balance worthy of a highwire act — how much do we disclose? Will your family be affected if you write about your mother’s dementia or the last time you had sex with your wife?

What do readers want?

Readers want practical advice, inspiration, hope, solace based on real experience. They want to read stories that are honest from real people going through life and bold enough to share in the hopes that they can help someone else.

Readers want to read your opinion or perspective on recent events in the news. They want to respond to your opinion and be part of a conversation on important issues.

Readers want to learn something from a well-researched article or to be entertained. They appreciate quality content in the tsunami of blogs they are inundated with every day. And you too want to stand out, with compelling writing, in the vast sea that is now blog writing.

How do you start

The problem begins when you try to write what is in your head. Every writer faces the same dilemma: the ideas and thoughts sound better in our heads. The writing on your computer screen is never as good as the writing in your head. Or at least mine never is. Here is where a lot of writers get caught.

Experienced writers, those that have been through this trial by fire, know that they will have to settle. What they have on their computer screens will never be perfect. Even if you have published hundreds of stories or many books, you will always feel the same way.

Press send

Whether you are writing a blog story, submitting to a literary journal or newspaper, or finishing your book, at some point you have to release your words into the world. When you press send, and your story or book is published, it feels like you are walking naked down the street. Exposed — what will people think ?— is how the majority of writers feel.

Why do I write

If someone had told me a year ago that I would be publishing stories on the internet for strangers to see and comment on, I would have thought they were nuts. Today I am hooked; it is my therapy. I write about life, marriage, random kindness, self-compassion, parents, friendship, ageing, and even my dog. I write about the heartbreak of motherhood. Sometimes I write about America's sh*tshow, but mostly I try not to because that is something for Americans to fix. One day if I have more courage I will write about the glasses of chardonnay.

I love writing; it connects me to an online community of friends and strangers, readers and writers. Blog writing is informal, like a conversation with or a letter to a friend. I write about my experiences in the most authentic way I can and hope that they resonate with or perhaps help someone. Every story is a nerve-wracking experience.

Further reading: Courage is the first essential for any writer, and if you are interested in reading more, I highly recommend The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear by Ralph Keyes.

How Do You Find the Courage to Write?