The last few chapters of my drafts consistently take me way way longer than they should. Is it because the exciting conclusion is just so exciting I don’t want to leave? (That can’t be a bad thing, right?)
But there’s more to it than that.
A lot of why I struggle to finish my drafts has nothing to do with my story and everything to do with fear.
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield calls our fears “resistance” and talks about how they try to hold us back from writing in many different ways. For me, one recurring fear is a fear of finishing my work.
Maybe your fear hits hardest before you even start writing a single word. Maybe the fears show up every single day. Whatever the fears are- you’re definitely not alone!
These fears and resistance take a lot of different forms. They can be sneaky, which is why I’m taking a bit of time to call a few of them out today. Once we’ve spotted them it’s a lot easier to face them head on.
5 Reasons I Fear Finishing My Story
Fear 1- I’m afraid it’s rubbish
We all fear this. At some point in our story we think we’re brilliant but there will always be times when we doubt there is any good in our writing. You are not alone.
When fear strikes:
Let’s remember not to compare ourselves with others and to recognize that all writers will doubt their creations at some point. Also, we are valuable and wonderful regardless of whether our stories ever sell big, and that’s important to remember.
Fear 2- I don’t know what comes next
The fear of the unknown is huge. When we don’t know what the future holds, it can be scary!
When writing, we can be afraid of completing our projects because we don’t know what projects or tasks we’ll be taking on next.
When this fear strikes:
One thing that helps me is to create a basic to do list of next steps (even if they need to be changed later). Also, connecting with experienced writer friends (in person or online) who can give encouragement is always valuable.
Fear 3- I don’t want to show anyone my work
Sometimes we’re afraid our work is rubbish (see Fear 1) and so we want to make sure no one ever sees it. This results in us avoiding creating a readable draft for our beta readers or anyone else, which means we’re not moving forward with our writing.
When this fear strikes:
It’s important to remember that it’s a process- none of us write perfect drafts or even perfect books. It’s also critical to have good beta readers who will provide helpful instead of hurtful feedback.
Fear 4- I’m afraid of success
So this one can seem a bit weird, like who is scared of success?
It’s a real thing, I promise.
Whether it’s because we’re afraid of people’s reactions, don’t like a lot of attention, are intimidated at the thought of self-promotion… there can be a lot involved with success that can be scary.
When this fear strikes:
Here is a good time to remind ourselves not to get too caught up in what other people think of us. Whether we’re successful or not, we can choose to work, write, and live in ways we feel are healthy and true to ourselves.
Fear 5- I’m afraid I won’t have any more good ideas
This fear shows up when we find we don’t want to move past our current project because we don’t think we’ll get any other good ideas. After all, when we love our story, what if our next story just doesn’t measure up?
When this fear strikes:
We need to trust the process and trust ourselves. The funny thing about ideas is that they don’t get used up, in fact, the more we create the more we are inspired to create. More ideas will come, really!
There aren’t any perfect, magic steps that will help us overcome all fears. But naming and identifying our fears is powerful– even just being aware of them gives us an advantage.
And naming ourselves as writers and identifying ourselves as capable is powerful as well.
Everyone has doubts and we’ll all have fears to work through. Being afraid is part of the process. But fear doesn’t need to overcome us.
So let’s remind ourselves why we started, surround ourselves with encouragement, and keep on keeping on. You’ve got this, writer!
Now excuse me, I’ve got some writing to do. 🙂
What about you? What sorts of fears crop up when you’re writing and creating? How do you overcome them?
Very true!
Thanks for chiming in! And best of luck with your writing this week 🙂