I think it is fairly common for writers to be afflicted with two simultaneous yet contradictory delusions—the burning certainty that we’re unique geniuses and the constant fear that we’re witless frauds who are speeding toward epic failure.
~Scott Lynch
Fear: that despicable thing that pervades our writing and creative endeavors. Fear is a pervasive part of writing, of any creative act really. I despise it, but cannot shake it. It is what causes me to bounce between the rush of excitement at a new idea and the despair that I won’t do it justice.
Why do we do this to ourselves?
I suppose that is human nature—the same nature that pushes us to create in the first place.
My fear presents itself as fatigue. Some days I can wake in good spirits and be full of energy until I sit down to write, when I can no longer move from lethargy. This is my cue that I am working from a place of fear.
It may be fear of not being good enough or failing. It may be a million other fictional tales I tell myself as my brain so thoughtfully fills in the blank of the sentence “My writing is….”
The problem is that as a freelance writer I don’t have time to indulge in these annoying realities. I have to work around them to meet my deadline. Below are a few tactics I have found that work for me. I don’t offer them as absolute fixes. You will have to find you own coping mechanisms. I offer these as a starting point to explore things that may break your fear block however it manifests itself.
1. The first thing I consider when I feel that deep fatigue is whether or not I have a clear idea of where I am going in the article/story/novel/script. Perhaps I don’t have enough information or a viable structure in mind. Whenever this is the case, I know that creating a brief outline helps, even if it is an outline for a short scene. Just laying the path helps me get back to writing. If I am working on a script, I may switch to the visuals and create a look for the piece. If I am writing fiction, I typically switch to dialogue, which is easier for me.
2. Sometimes I am lost. I can’t even create an outline. This is a sure sign that I need to review my notes and do more research. I keep a small notebook filled with my ideas for each piece. This is where I begin. I make a list of what I need to know to continue, use that to create my outline and start writing.
3. If a project is giving me trouble (usually this means it is a work for hire piece), I will help myself out during the writing process. I will stop each writing session in the middle of a passage or paragraph. This helps me pick up the writing more easily and keep moving forward. Or I will write a leading sentence before I stop for the day.
4. Sometimes I have to admit defeat, leave my keyboard behind and take a quick walk. It never fails to get me thoughts moving. Then I immediately come back to write. It is important to grab that creative wave when it hits.
5. The last thing to try is to write. Feel the fatigue and write anyway. I challenge myself to write for ten minutes. Then when I finish that, I challenge myself to ten more, and so on. I keep fooling myself until I reach my goal for the day. Most of the time, I get back into the flow of things by the 20 minute mark. Some days it never happens, but I still produce words and sentences. They may need a bit more editing at the end, but they are there on the page where they need to be.
What strategies do you use?