Step 66: Overcome Your Paralysis

Ha! Wow, you really don't want to read the first draft that I wrote of this blog post! I've been told by multiple teachers and authors that you should just write whenever you're doing a first draft. Don't stop to think about the logistics of what you're saying. Don't go back to correct the grammar mistakes or the mistyped letters. Just write down what's in your head.

I absolutely HATE doing this. I get frustrated and just start writing about how much I hate this non-stop tactic, so whatever idea I was trying to get across gets completely forgotten. I usually cheat and say some crude comment before writing "The End," giving me the ok to go back and re-write the story or the blog post how I want to.

But, as much as I HATE to admit it, it surprisingly helped.

I knew October was going to be a hard month after deciding to put aside the novel I'd spent the past year working on. I accepted it and told myself I just wouldn't write anything until November. Start fresh with the new month.

And while I have been a good girl and worked on a new story for the minimum one hour per day, it has been terribly slow going. I'd write a line then sit and contemplate it and the entire story for several minutes before writing the next line. It wasn't so much that I didn't like the story (I actually think it could be really good) as it was I was afraid to start something new and "fail" again.

I know "fails" not the right word. I didn't "fail" at my last story--it was great practice and I can still go back to it when I'm a better writer. But knowing and feeling are two separate things. And many times your feelings can block out logic. And they can stop you from moving on. They can paralyze you.

Even trying to write a new blog post was hard. So, I did what any paralyzed person does--I did my exercises. I wrote without stopping. It was hard, and I hated it. But it helped me break through my writing paralysis. Now I've got a nice cohesive blog post.

Hopefully this will carry over to my novel--and to my life in general.

So, my question to you is: What's some fear that you've had to overcome?
And my challenge to you: Don't let your fears stop you. I basically wasted a whole month stewing in my own self-doubt, and I almost let it carry over into this new month. There's too many exciting experiences to be had to let that much time slip by un-used.