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Write What You Fear

By on May 25, 2017
Write What You Fear - Writer's Life.org

The best writing comes from a place of courage. Of facing up to our fears and tackling them head on. The best writing isn’t censored or submerged or flimsy. It hits hard and leaves you gasping for air.

Writing what you fear can not only mean you produce some of your best work, it can help you deepen and expand as a writer, and bing about a sense of peace and satisfaction like never before.

So how do you write what you fear? Try doing this:

Write about what you dream of

If you could be any kind of writer, who would you be? Go on, just dare to believe for a minute. Would you be a travel writer, going on amazing adventures and exploring the world? Would you write an autobiography exploring the scary, crazy unpredictable events of your life? Would you be a poet? Would you write weird, niche fiction that you know may not appeal to anyone else but that you would completely love?

Sometimes our biggest dreams are our biggest fears. We shut ourselves down because we think our ideas are too crazy, too 'out there' or foolish to work. But if you want to be true to yourself, and to find true satisfaction in what you write, really think about what it is you want to write about, and then only write about that.

Write about what you care about

Being vulnerable is pretty scary, but if we tap into all our emotions, all our experiences, some pretty incredible writing can emerge. It can be hard to really let our imaginations run wild or to really dig deep into our emotions or our past. It can be scary to use our love for someone, our heartbreak or our pain in our writing - but if we let ourselves be vulnerable in this way, the emotion will come across in our work and it will be raw and vulnerable and beautiful.

Write about what you don’t want to talk about

What are you keeping locked up? What secrets do you have? Exploring the deep, dark depths of our souls is terrifying but can be where our best writing will come from. Not only will we feel brave and courageous, but writing about what you have kept hidden from others can provide a huge sense of relief and ultimately catharsis too.

Write about what you think will shock people

Be fearless in your writing, don’t soften the edges, don’t tiptoe around the subjects that might cause controversy. While writing purely to shock may seem gratuitous, if you are writing about a serious subject don’t avoid the gruesome, graphic details. It may make your readers uncomfortable, it may shock them, but it will get them to react. You may feel scared and uncertain, you may be worried that people will judge you, but fortune favours the brave after all!

So next time you get that feeling of anxiety or hesitation and you feel yourself resisting what you really want to write about, just stand up to your fear and work though it.

You’ll find if you do you just might surprise yourself and produce something truly amazing. So aim high, dream big and don’t worry about what other people think!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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