Howdy!

This might be a kind of rambly post because I’m not sure where I’m even starting with it. I can feel your confidence in me right now. 😛

There’s all sorts of advice about writing – write what you know, write first, edit later, write the book you want to read.

But what happens when you get inside your own head? We spend a lot of time as writers trying to get inside characters’ heads and figuring out what makes them tick. Then comes the wondering if we’re getting the story right. If readers will even like it. If we’re writing the right thing.

Basically we start to psych ourselves out.

This happens to me a lot. I question a lot of things. I think I’m not good enough. I think I write too slow. I wonder why I’m even trying to write a story. I feel like my book has no purpose.

Solution?

Write Fearlessly

There’s a reason you got the story idea no one else has. You’re now entrusted with the lives and hopes and dreams of a world full of people. No pressure, right? 🙂

You know all those fears and doubts I listed out above? I’ve spent a lot of time second guessing my current WIP. It’s different that anything I’ve ever written. It’s darker, rougher, scarier. The villains are scary. The MC is not quite hero material. But everyone is searching for redemption.

I spent a lot of time questioning where I’m going with it. I’m worried about what people might think about it. What readers of my other books might think because it’s different from what they typically read.

Write Fearlessly

It comes down to that whole first draft thing. Get the words out. Write the story YOU want. Not the story you think everyone else wants. It doesn’t matter what THEY want, because right now, it’s just you, your first draft, and all your fears on the table.

There’s always time for edits. Heck, the story might even change halfway through. *raises hand and glares at WIP* But don’t be afraid to write the words you want.

You might be surprised at what happens. Don’t write scared. Embrace the rough, the gritty, the bad, the good, about your story. Don’t be afraid of the words in your mind. Write fearlessly.