Most everyone in some way experiences fear on some level and it isn’t just isolated to writers or creatives. This is just one way our fears manifest, by stopping us from doing the thing we love most. We all have little voices in our heads that have a life of their own, running us around in circles with the idea of keeping us away from pain and disappointment – yet they also keep us away from growing and experiencing fulfillment.

While today’s post focuses on fears writers experience, the ideas and techniques shared here can be applied to any fear we have in life. And since writing fears really aren’t about writing, per se, but about something deeper around stories we’ve accepted as reality about ourselves conditioned by the past, while we work with these fears we’ll be shifting our entire life.

I’ve had to work with many fears over the course of my life to include things like public speaking, fear of heights, fear of being judged and having my work judged…and while we may not always completely eradicate those voices, we definitely learn how to work with them, harness them, and stop giving them control.

In Sage Cohen’s great post, 10 Ways to Harness Fear and Fuel Your Writing for Writer’s Digest you’ll find insightful thoughts on how to consciously work with your fears in a way that harnesses their energy for your writing. I especially love this reference she adds, which speaks to how we can regain control over our lives in the midst of fears and fearful voices:

In A Beautiful Mind, when someone from the Nobel Prize committee asks schizophrenic mathematician John Nash how he silenced the voices that threatened to interfere with his work and his life, Nash replies something to the effect of, “I didn’t. They’re talking to me right now. I have simply made a choice to stop engaging with what they’re saying.”

And so can you.

You can also choose to have a conversation with them like she shares in #9 where you get your fear voice and heart voice together as one through a series of thoughtful curiosities that put things at ease.

It’s interesting to me that we fear “fear,” but fears are more like our soul’s coursebook to growth that we have written perfectly in a way that we know in our hearts will provide great depth, expansion, and evolution. Fears can translate into some incredibly rich writing, music, painting, or any creative project by adding layers of realness to our work.

I’ve used a lot of the techniques she describes in her article and while things may not happen overnight, they do happen step-by-step if you’re willing to truly work at it. That’s all you really need, is a commitment to yourself to work with yourself gently and with encouragement.

Ari Meghlen recently shared a guest post by Nore Hoogstad on How to Overcome Writing Fear that also focuses on some key fears around writing and some quick, easy thoughts around them, which you may also find helpful.

I hope you’ll find these supportive with your process.

What are your greatest fears that seem to be running the show?

Do you think you can commit to working with at least one of them and make your passion a priority, as a result?