I’ve been writing—and working with writers—for a long time.

Decades.

Sometimes writers fret about their ability to write characters, or develop plots, or handle pacing, but in my experience, those are not the problems that stop us from writing.

We’re smart. We think hard. Most of us are fairly confident in our ability to research, learn and implement specific writing techniques.

What blocks us is fear.

This week I’m going to give you five exercises to face and tame this most powerful of foes.

Face The Fear, And Write, Regardless

Your inner critic is not a moustache-twirling, two-dimensional villain, out to destroy you.

Like any good antagonist, your Inner Critic is the hero of it’s own story, and it is complex.

• It’s the nervous voice of everyone who loves you, saying, “Be careful! Play it safe! Don’t get hurt!”
• Sometimes there’s an added layer of the voices of people who are threatened by you, jealous of you, and scared you will surpass you.
• Sometimes there’s an added layer of fear from yourself: who will I leave behind if I let go and let myself be as awesome as I suspect I am. Who will be offended, because they think I’m leaving them behind?

But all of these voices—most of them not yours, or at least, not the voice of you in this moment—are simply telling one story, one version of a story. What they are telling you isn’t the truth. It’s one story about reality.

Fortunately, you are an expert storyteller, with a vivid imagination, and you get to rewrite the stories in your head.

It just takes some practice.

Today’s Task

• Set a time for four minutes. Write down the fears that bubble up when you sit down to write, in general, or on a specific project.
• Reset the timer, and rewrite those ‘fears’ as strengths.

Examples:

• “I’m not special. Who am I to think I can write something people will want to read” becomes, “I understand ordinary, everyday lives, with all their complexity and challenge. I’m the perfect person to write a story that gives hope to, or thrills, someone who is facing all the same daily challenges I am. I’m relatable!”
• “I never finish anything” becomes “I have a million ideas, and sometimes I develop them into complete stories. Not always, but sometimes, and that’s awesome!”
• “I don’t have time to write” becomes, “Thinking counts as writing, and luckily, I can think while I’m doing other activities that I have to do. All I have to do is focus on thinking about my stories, and creating a little time to record those thoughts, regularly.”

May-Ready Bonus Question: write down three words to describe how you want to feel during StoryADay May