Many times, people have a fear of writing. Depending on what you are writing, There are a couple of common fears. Will people like this and can I actually say this out loud because it might be too personal. I started writing about 10 years before I published my writings. At that point it was more a matter of what to do with it all. It was another 10 years before I did my first real book. I should be finishing my 8th book soon.
The key is to not worry about what a publisher will say or who might not like it. And for most of us this is long ball. The chances of you getting a home run with your first book is pretty slim. And even those we think of that were hits out of the gate were rejected countless times before they found a publisher – Scholastic Publishing was a little book publisher that specialized in kids books for school book fairs until Harry Potter found them after being rejected everywhere else. In the self publishing world, it often takes 6-8 books before you actually start getting traction.
Write for one person
Maybe it is yourself or maybe your child. Don’t write for a publisher or the whole world. Don’t get hung up around “submitting” your work. This implies getting someone’s approval, which in the traditional publishing world is true. Just publish it – there is nothing stopping you from publishing a blog or even an entire book all by yourself. I’ve never gone the traditional route because in my case it’s not practical for poetry which is most of what I write. https://www.sacredpoems.com
Share All You Can
Contribute every chance you get to get over your fear of writing. I look for opportunities to contribute poems, stories or advice any place I can. You never know where you might end up. Most people know “The Four Hour Work Week”. For the second edition Tim Ferris invited people to edit and contribute different things. Most of what I did was simple changes, but page 172 of the red cover edition is my story. Dan Miller has graciously mentioned me a couple times on the podcast based on things I have sent him. You just have to practice getting yourself out there.
Conquering Your Fear of Writing
If you have a fear of writing, break your writing into chunks in a blog. I have several blogs that I write and when I get to a certain point – reorganize and turn into a book. It allows you to practice writing and build a platform at the same time. The point is to just get started. You will eventually get there.
