Fear Can Make You A Better Writer

No matter how successful or how new we are to writing, fear comes knocking on everyone's door, even if no one admits it publicly. The thought of actually putting our work out there for all to scrutinize and judge can be terrifying. It can take over every rational thought and even prevent us from following our creative passion. Some people will view fear as a weakness and therefore refuse to acknowledge it. Fear needs to be redefined not as a weakness, but something that can give a writer strength to achieve success.
Like most writers, my passion for the written word started when I was a child and I used it to escape from reality. Some chance meetings created opportunities and that began my first job as a writer. Writing a few articles for a local newspaper. Then I was approached by a director of an amateur dramatic company to write a stage play for his group. He told me he enjoyed my articles and wanted to hire me as a writer. However, when it was obvious that I could do this for a living, fear introduced itself and I refused. The thought of putting my work out there and what people thought always scared me to death.
I was lucky enough to have a father who always inspired me to follow my dreams. He constantly reminded me that the regret of not taking a chance was far worse than the regret of trying and not succeeding. I suddenly had an epiphany; wasn’t every news article I wrote for free open to such criticism? Biting the bullet, I contacted the amateur dramatic company and accepted their offer.
One scene turned to many and before I knew it, I was writing my first stage play. I felt like I was home. However, with every scene, my old friend was there knocking on my door. I learned to acknowledge it, but never answered the door. I found my passion and wasn't going to let my fear get the better of me. I was finally being paid to do something I enjoyed. I refused to listen to the voice inside telling me I was not able to become a writer; my inner insecurities had been preventing me from living the life I wanted.
That's when it dawned on me that fear isn't just a foe, it can also be a friend. It all came down to how I used it. I learned to take that fear and turn it into motivation for every project. After having written three stage plays, I realized I had to prove that I could write for television and guess who came banging on my door once again? You got it – fear. As scared as I was, I knew what I had to do and got the job done.
Through the years, my old friend has followed me, from my first writing project to my fifth screenplay. Every time I begin a new writing project my old friend fear appears. We have formed quite a good relationship now and when fear tries to tell me I cannot succeed, I always like to prove them wrong. My old friend fear always likes to throw obstacles in the way, but so far none have been successful in preventing me from pushing forward.
Just like anything else, fear gives you choices. You can either give into it or use it to fuel whatever goal you have. I hope you use it to make your dreams come true and take comfort in knowing you aren't alone.