Fear four ways

Maybe it's because Halloween is approaching, but lately I've been paying attention to the way fear drives characters (and readers).

Fear is useful. Fear can protect us from danger, which is why we look both ways before crossing the street. Fear can keep us safe, help us succeed, and act in ways that may contrast with our normal behaviors. Our brain's fear center is the amygdala, which regulates our ability to control fear responses. But what happens when we let fear take over our characters?

Phobias

Does your protagonist have a fear or phobia? If so, how are you going to make her face her fear? If she's afraid of heights (like me) is the evidence of her innocence hidden on the roof of a skyscraper? If it's a fear of water, does she need to swim across a raging river to escape the bad guys? When there's a choice, what does she do, face her fear, or run away?

One way to build tension is to show her running away from her fear when there isn't a lot at stake. By adding this scene early in the story, you've planted a seed that will come back bigger and stronger later, when's the stakes are higher.

The hero

The more dangerous the task, the more fear, and the more heroic the effort to overcome the fear and complete the task. Anyone who risks her life to save someone may not be focused on fear, but it's there.

How does your favorite hero respond to his or her call to action? I'm reading The Outsiders, and during the fire scene, I loved the way S.E. Hinton described Ponyboy's reaction. He thought he should be scared, but wasn't, and added that he had an "odd, detached feeling."

The monster

Some of us like fear, and enjoy feeling afraid. But there's a big difference between someone who takes a risk by mountain climbing, and one who is turned on by fear in others. Is your protagonist on the trail of a serial killer or sociopath?

These stories can be compelling in that the need for control and power makes them strike again and again as the violence escalates. Does this character enjoy someone else's fear, or feed off it? Sometimes a sociopath lacks empathy to feel for others, and having the power to make victims suffer gives them pleasure. They enjoy the power, like the scientist with his subject, maintaining close contact, monitoring their breath, their fear as they gaze into their victim's pupils, listening to the fast-beating heart, smelling their fear, touching their sweat. These characters show no remorse, no conscious, and can raise the fear within a community.

Fear as a virus

Fear is contagious. It can pass from person to person in a room when the electricity goes off, or the sound of footsteps can be heard upstairs when no one is supposed to be there.

Fear also can spread across large areas and groups. Most of us are too young to remember, but have heard about Orson Welles' War of the Worlds broadcast in 1938, which caused mass hysteria when listeners believed this was a live broadcast of a Martian invasion.

So, the next time you are reading a story that evokes fear, pay attention to how it works.

Mary Horner has been afraid of heights and scary stories for many years.

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4 comments fear, monsters, phobias, viral fear.

Friday Speak Out!: Fear and the New Writer

by Tiffany Connolly

Fear is a dichotomous entity; it grips my resolve and simultaneously propels me in the right direction. As a “new” woman writer, fear of being judged, being boring, or of creating meaningless discourse is what holds me back from really putting myself out there.

I put “new” in quotation marks because I have successfully engaged in multiple forms of writing my entire life, but only now am I beginning to put effort into introducing my writing to an audience and to hopefully turning writing into a full-time career.

Combatting my self-doubt is a conscious effort that involves being present and mindful of my fear. Fear can hold a special place in the drive toward success; It gives me the determination to produce meaningful content, to seek the right audience and to focus my tenacity in the right direction. I am beginning to learn to use my fear as a catalyst to finding success and not letting it drown me in negative inner dialogue or writing apathy. Grappling with fear and self-doubt requires me to open up to its potential and appreciate it for what it’s worth, without letting it control me. I do my best not to become enveloped in my fear but to be mindful of it; a watcher of my own diffidence. In this way I can analyze its source and question its outcome; inevitably coming to the realization that what I should fear most is not writing, not going public with my words.

My first step in battling this inner turmoil is to join with a group of writers like myself. As a mom to a two year old, fear isn’t the only thing holding me back, it’s lack of time. I’ve begun replacing the phrase, “I don’t have time for (insert any activity here)”, with “(said activity) isn’t a priority” in all areas of my life; with health, work, family, creativity, etc. In essence, that means I am saying that when I don’t have time to write, I am saying that “writing is not a priority”. Well, writing is a priority. And fear can be a heavy beast, but when we harness it and direct it in a positive direction, we become unstoppable.

* * *

Tiffany Connolly is a freelance writer, educator and mother to an inquisitive and rambunctious toddler. She runs an online community of writer-moms, Scribble ‘n Scribe, whose mission is to inspire and encourage moms to carve out time to hone their craft (https://scribble-n-scribe.mn.co/share/sKJjgANYAUT-qqbg?utm_source=manual). Tiffany graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor’s degree in Art History where she contributed to the school’s newspaper, The Daily Bruin and received her Master’s in Education from Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. She currently teaches high school English in Truckee, CA, where she moonlights as a bass player in an all-girl 90’s cover band. www.tiffanyconnolly.com
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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!
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4 comments fear, finding time to write, Friday Speak Out, new writer, Tiffany Connolly, writer inspiration

Writer's Block and Fear

Recently, someone I worked with before asked me to co-author a book. I loved working with her and it’s an amazing idea. I would never have known about this topic without her, and her academic credentials will be central in marketing the finished product.

In spite of this, I find myself working on everything but this manuscript. Granted, I had other things to get done first, but seriously? I’ve even managed to annoy myself. As my writing buddy Darcy Pattison would point out, it’s time to confront my fears and get busy. Here are three things writers tend to fear.

1. Failure. This is particularly common after a first book, be it your first book ever or your first book with a particular publisher. A first book creates pressure to repeat this success with book #2. We all know many manuscripts never sell, so this is worry about book #2 is especially acute. What will people think if I fail?
2. The angry mob. I see this one from people who write memoir. It goes something like this - “What if I remember something differently than everyone else?” Our writing is so central to our lives that we assume it is this important to everyone. Depending on your story, you may need to worry about making someone mad. Should you let that stop you? It depends how important the story is to you.
3. Inability to write THIS story. Do I have what it takes to pull this one off? This is especially common for authors who are writing about a group to which they don’t belong, especially an ethnic group. Do you have to belong to tell the story? Some people will say that you do. I don’t agree, but you do need to be willing to listen to someone who is part of the group. When you get a detail wrong, you need to be ready to bow to someone else’s expertise.

Which one is my problem? Fortunately, it isn’t #1. I was lucky. I wrote 5 books in just over a year – my first book came out when I was in the middle of book #3. My problem is number 3. This particular project is a nonfiction story that will be perfect for Black History Month. Am I black? Nope. But my co-author is. Is this my story? Nope. But it is my co-author’s story – her grandmother was a part of it. I don’t have the expertise but my co-author does. I’m the head writer. She’s in charge of the details. We can make this work.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to finish this research and get writing.

--SueBE
Sue is the instructor for our course, Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults.  The next session begins on September 7, 2015.

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3 comments fear, overcoming fear, writer's block

Writers: What Are You Afraid Of?

Fear.

If you say you never experience fear about writing, I'd say you're not being honest. At some point in our writing lives, we've experienced the scariness of rejection, the trepidation of sending a blind query, the fear of not meeting personal expectations. Fear of failure.

But do not let fear hold you back.

I know, easier said than done, right?

I took my own advice recently. About five years ago, I queried a prestigious regional magazine, offering an intriguing historical piece about a house in the area I live. The features editor showed interest and wanted clips. I sent three of the best clips I'd written. His response: "Nope, these don't do it for me."

Let me tell you, that knocked the writing wind right out of me!

Since then, I've scoured every issue of this magazine, analyzing the style, and let's be honest - I'm wondering why my writing style wouldn't be a great fit!

As each new issue arrived in my mailbox, I'd grow a bit more frustrated, primarily with myself, for being afraid of what the rejection meant and the effect it had over me.

Then, I decided to do something about it. The publication advertised for writers. I sent a short bio and listed a few places I've been published. An hour later, I received a reply AND a welcome to the magazine.

Doesn't being scared let you know you're on to something important?

It certainly does.

It allows you the opportunity to confront failure and turn it into a meaningful lesson. I just wish it hadn't taken five years. :)

by LuAnn Schindler

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3 comments confronting fear, confronting obstacles, fear, LuAnn Schindler

Friday Speak Out!: Who's Running Your Show?, Guest Post by Sandy Grason

Who's Running Your Show?

by Sandy Grason

You may have heard me say “your Inner Wisdom whispers and your Inner Critic yells”. What I mean by this is when I first heard the whisper of my Inner Wisdom it said “write a book”, but immediately my Inner Critic piped in and said;

“You can't do that, who do you think you are? Who wants to read your book? What are you going to write about? Who really cares what you want to write about? Everybody wants to write a book, what makes you so special?”

That's just a tiny, tiny snippet of what my Inner Critic was yelling in my ear. I often joke that my Inner Critic is very mean, she says things like “You suck!”

I wish I could tell you that I've conquered my Inner Critic, stomped her out, smashed her with my powerful-Rock Star-Hot Mogul-ness. I hate to report that she is alive and well and she usually is loudest when I'm standing in the wings getting ready to head on stage, the person introducing me is reading my fabulous bio, listing all the wonderful things I've accomplished, blah, blah, blah.... all I hear is “If they could have seen you having a meltdown in the parking lot with your kids last week, oh they would be REALLY impressed...”

I'm not sure you ever really get rid of your Inner Critic, but I have found ways to turn up the volume of my Inner Wisdom and to live my life from the guidance of my Inner Wisdom rather than from the fear of my Inner Critic. I can also happily report that I no longer allow my Inner Critic to stop me from pursuing things I really want to do.

Yes, she still says things like “What will other people think? You don't know what you are doing, what if you make a fool of yourself?” And my personal favorite “You're doing it wrong.” Fortunately, even if I might be “doing it wrong” I'm committed to do it wrong with style and in the biggest way possible. :-D

Here my tips to turn up the volume on your Inner Wisdom and start living your most magnificent life:

1. Be Willing to Suck. As I mentioned, my Inner Critic likes to tell me that I'm doing “it” wrong. It doesn't matter what it is, there's that critical voice, always chiming in, judging everything, looking for the problem or the reasons why I'll never be able to succeed. I got a note from a reader recently telling me the story of her sister who finally, finally finished her screenplay. When she asked her sister how she managed to accomplish this her sister replied “I was willing to suck at it!” That's the game your Inner Critic plays, judging you harshly until you just give up rather than doing something that is less than perfect. So go ahead! Be willing to Suck! It will change your life!

2. Shut Your Mouth. And your phone, your television, your radio off for a little while. Be quiet for at least 10 minutes every day. You don't have to DO anything during this time. Reconnect with yourself. It's hard to hear your Inner Wisdom when you've got lots of other voices competing for air time in your head. Shut everything off and just sit quietly. Or listen to some favorite music. Go outside and put your feet in the sand or the grass (or the snow?). Stare at the sky, move clouds with your mind, rock in a rocking chair, swing on a swing. Do this everyday for 10 minutes. Watch the magic unfold.

3. Follow Your Fun. I'm a firm believer that our Inner Wisdom sends us messages in the form of FUN. If you are having fun you are connected to your Inner Wisdom. When you are excited and passionate about a project, there is an energy you are tapping into that is connected to all of life. You are more connected to others and to your own “flow”. I know there are always tasks and projects that are waiting on you and they might not seem like much fun, but make sure you are building in a bit of the Fun Factor into every single day. Your Inner Wisdom can be silly as well as wise- go find some FUN today!

* * *

Sandy Grason is a Rock Star Author, Int’l Speaker, Radio Talk Show Host & Hot Mogul. Get on the Guest List for Sandy’s next Virtual Cocktail Party®, or book a private one-on-one lifestyle design strategy session today at www.SandyGrason.com./em>

 

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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Leave a Comment doubt, fear, Friday Speak Out, inner critic, Sandy Grayson, writer inspiration

Friday Speak Out!: Overcoming Fear, Guest Post by Christina Kapp

Overcoming Fear

by Christina Kapp

This winter Vida: Women in the Literary Arts published some interesting statistics concerning the inequality of publications among men and women in several major literary publications. Whether you write literary fiction or not, it’s worth looking at because it raises some interesting questions about the behaviors of women writers versus men, and can be as inspiring as it is depressing.

Clearly men are being published in greater number than women, so the obvious question is: Are editors truly male biased, or is something else going on here? Can there really be this much disparity in today’s publishing culture?

In a response to Vida’s statistics Tin House editor Rob Spillman blogged, “Male authors, in the face of rejection, are much more likely to submit more work, (and sooner) than their female peers. This is true even when the female author is explicitly requested to send more work.” What Spillman’s response suggests is that it may very well be less about editorial bias than simply about submission numbers. If women aren’t submitting as aggressively as men and there are fewer submissions by women, it stands to reason that we’re likely to be published less often. Sounds obvious enough, but is this really the case? Are we, as women, placing ourselves at a distinct disadvantage by distrusting our work and not submitting enough or responding to requests for more work? Are we self-discriminating because the number of submissions it can take to get a piece published simply overwhelm us?

For any writer, male or female, it is worth looking at our level of confidence in our writing and our commitment to getting our work out. Crafting an exceptional story is hard, but being dedicated and thick-skinned enough to understand that rejection is simply part of the process of publication, and not necessarily a commentary on the writing, may actually be harder. Are we up to the challenge on both fronts? Are we ready to push back against the statistics by putting fear aside on the basis that our work is just as good?

I hope so. I know I have been guilty of being too careful, nervous, or hesitant with my submission strategy. I’ll admit it. I am nothing if not completely insecure, and I know that it affects my ability to get my work published. I have been that woman who receives a kind rejection asking for more work and puts it aside, thinking, “someday I’ll have exactly the right piece for this one, but not now,” or “I’ve been rejected three times in three years. They just don’t like my work.” I know I shouldn’t, but I do take rejection personally. I feel all those terrible things: disappointment, frustration, embarrassment, shame. Why? I don’t know. Maybe it’s hard-wired. Maybe I’m self-defeating. However, I thank both Vita and Tin House for sharing these statistics and being so open about what is going on beyond my computer screen in the larger world of literary publishing. I hope we can all learn something from it, and press on with a renewed sense of purpose and optimism.

* * *

Christina Kapp is a mom, writer, and occasional triathlete who leads the New Jersey Writers Society's Franklin Chapter. Her fiction, poetry and essays have been published in numerous journals and anthologies, most recently Chicken Soup for the Soul: Runners, apt, and Best of Eclectic Flash 2010. She blogs at: http://booksandcrayons.wordpress.com.
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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!

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1 comment Christina Kapp, fear, Friday Speak Out, getting published, writer inspiration

Friday Speak Out!: Writer? Me?, Guest Post by Melissa Aiello

Writer? Me?

by Melissa Aiello

“Hello, my name is Melissa and I’m a recovering doubter.”

How I wish for a 12 step program to treat the disease of doubt. Wouldn’t it be grand to have a support group for wayward souls who fight tooth and nail to avoid using “writer” when describing themselves, simply because they lack confidence? They being me.

“I can’t believe you don’t think you’re a writer” said a friend recently, with raised eyebrows and pitying look that screams, “Seriously, how could you STILL doubt yourself. You are driving your friends crazy!”

Easy, because I don’t see myself reflected in what I read: blog pages filled with witty, SMART prose and novelist’s who string words into characters that walk, talk, breathe AND follow a plot! It’s magic to me and I feel incapable of that sort of conjuring. The real clincher is I don’t even know if I WANT to do it. I haven’t nursed a passion to write since I was a child. I have not dreamt of being a novelist, journalist or poet. Doesn’t that revelation have “YOU ARE NOT A WRITER” written all over it?

Yet, words form armies in my head that pummel away at my brain until I put them on paper. If I can’t write an idea down right away, it runs the risk of being lost forever--mainly because recent thyroid surgery has left my brain frustratingly fuzzy. And those lost ideas make me sad, because I wanted them to live.

My ultimate underlying issue is fear. Having family and friends tell me what a good writer I am is not enough, in my world view, to pursue it. It is not enough to stick my toes outside my comfort zone and test the waters – there might be sharks in there, ya know! My huge admiration for real writers prevents me from trying to be like them--I don’t feel worthy.

And now here I am, laying myself out for public display. Encouraged by past Speak Out posts I am hoping my ‘dream’ and ‘passion’ will finally reveal themselves to me. Will it be academic writing or travel? Should I explore journalism or try to resurrect my dormant blog? The ‘what’ and ‘how’ are still unclear. What I do know is that writing flash fiction stories helps me heal and keeps me moving forward.

Perhaps I do have that support group I mentioned earlier and maybe I should listen to them more--those friends of mine. Whether I am able to discover the courage to call myself a writer, or not, I will start by saying the word out loud to the other me that I see in the mirror each morning. It’s a start.

* * *

Melissa Aiello is a full time Queen of her Casa, 40-something college student and community volunteer living in San Jose, CA. In between juggling husband, kids and forcing her fuzzy brain to recover from a thyroidectomy she is hoping to discover whether “writer” is a hat she is worthy of wearing. Visit her blog at http://alienbody.blogspot.com/.
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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!

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3 comments fear, Friday Speak Out, Melisaa Aiello, writer, writer inspiration

Procrastinating? Not Motivated? Get To The Core (Belief) Of The Problem.

For months now I have been trying to finish a short story, actually, I haven’t even started—I have a basic outline. You wouldn’t believe the disturbances that have come between me and that project…from writer’s block to sick parents to a swarm of bees; it would be laughable if it wasn’t so frustrating. For awhile I toyed with the idea that there was a menacing writing-demon wreaking havoc with my project; I finally had to admit to myself that it all came down to self-sabotage by my internal belief system…my false beliefs.

These false beliefs often show themselves through our self-talk, which is good because then we can recognize the self-judgment and work with it. But sometimes, as in this case, they sneakily manifest through obstacles or disturbances seemingly out of our control. Other times they hide; we convince ourselves that we are making progress because we are busy doing writerly things, yet we never quite get to that one project…that next goal.

These deep seated beliefs are what back up our self-judgments. They are irrational, emotional and usually fear based. Some examples are:
My family will no longer accept me if I am not like them (fear of abandonment).
Pursuing my own dream is selfish (fear of rejection).

Because they are so deeply held finding these core beliefs requires patience and determination. It takes courage to challenge the unspoken rules and the limits you have previously accepted. It takes a desire and a willingness to break out of that old skin, even if the process is uncomfortable. But once you bring that false belief out of the subconscious and into the conscious mind you can change it, graduate from it, and grow beyond those previously set limits into the life that is waiting for you—the life you deserve—and the person you are meant to be.

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Leave a Comment false beliefs, fear, Get to the core belief of the problem, procrastination, self-judgment, writers tips

Friday Speak Out!: Conquering the Writing Demons, Guest Post by Tiffany Jansen

Conquering the Writing Demons

by Tiffany Jansen

Have you ever been afraid? A sweaty-palms, butterflies in the stomach, clammy-forehead, crippling fear that makes your heart seem to stop.

I feel that way about writing. Not that I don’t love it: I do! Not that I don’t think I’m good at it: I think I’m pretty darn good with a lot of potential if I may say so myself. So why am I so afraid of something I love and feel confident in my ability to do well?

Simple: fear of failure. What we write is so very much a part of us. To have our work rejected, laughed at, negated, or criticized is a very jagged pill to swallow. To protect myself from this possibility, I play it safe. I stick to markets that accept and appreciate my work. The jobs that are easy to get. Ones I know I’ll do well in. The bad news is that most of these markets don’t pay. Not very promising if you’re looking to make a career as a freelance writer.

I’ve noticed though, that success in the non-paying markets has helped me hone in my writing skills and become more confident in my work. Enough so that I have recently, slowly begun to branch out. I’m leaving content mills for paid travel writing gigs. Non-paying expat websites and blogs are taking the back burner to expat magazines and newspapers. My guest posts are saved for the more popular blogs in my niche and I’m starting to do posts for other well-known blogs (such as this one).

Perhaps once I’m feeling good about these markets, I’ll move on to find my own clients or maybe even start on one of the many book ideas going through my head. Only time will tell. With the rate I’m going however, I hope I have a looooong time ahead of me!

What are your writing fears? Have you found a motivator or confidence builder to get you past those fears?

Tiffany Jansen is an American expat living in the Netherlands. She has written for numerous expat and travel publications and actually has succeeded in writing one book. Her Dutch adventures are chronicled on her blog Clogs and Tulips: An American in Holland.

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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!

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3 comments fear, Friday Speak Out, Tiffany Jansen, writing inspiration

Top 10 Fears of Writers

In A Writer's Book of Days, Judy Reeves shares the results from a survey of writers showing their top fears about practicing the craft. Here's the list:

1. that I'm not good enough; that my writing is mediocre or bad

2. that my work is worthless, boring, drivel, not clever; that I have nothing interesting to say

3. that I won’t follow through or complete anything

4. that I'll get stuck and nothing will come out

5. that I'll never learn the craft of writing

6. that I'll appear stupid or foolish; afraid of what people will think

7. that I'll hurt someone

8. that I'm a fake, lying, not telling the truth

9. that its waste of time

A tie for 10:

10. that it’s been done or said before, better

10. that I won't get published

Chances are, you've had at least of few of these thoughts yourself at one time or another. I know I have! We're only human.

With practice and experience, some of these concerns lessen, I've found. For the other fears, do what you can to convince yourself of the opposite truths. Just keep writing! You can't let any of these worries stop you from doing what you love.

--Marcia Peterson

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6 comments doubt, fear, Marcia Peterson, persistence, psychology of writing

Fear

"All of us are born with a set of instinctive fears--of falling, of the dark, of lobsters, of falling on lobsters in the dark, or speaking before a Rotary Club, and of the words "Some Assenbly Required." Dave Barry

Fear is the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind and according to H.P. Lovecraft "the oldest and stongest kind of fear is the unknown." Fear also keeps us safe. That fear of spiders and snakes keeps us from getting bitten. But fear can keep us from living life to the fullest.

As writers we have our own special set of fears. First we are afraid to send out our writing so we polish until we get to the point we are changing things which have been changed several times. We aren't making things better, we are just picking nits. Putting off the next step.

Once we finally do send our writing we count the days dreading the "rejection" letter. When I was a Long Ridge student I had do my assignments by snail mail. I remember getting the first one back. I sat on the bed for over an hour with the envelope afraid to open it. What if she didn't like it? What if I didn't have the ability to be a writer? Would she tell me to give it up and get a real job? Oh the thoughts that ran through my mind. When I finally gathered the courage to open her reply I found she enjoyed the piece, that she thought it publishable with some tweaks and she would be waiting for my next assignment. Turns out I'd wasted over an hour when I could have been celebrating good news.

And then there is the fear of failure. As the deadline for my next assignment loomed ever nearer, the doubts gathered like dark storm clouds. What if the first time was just a fluke and I couldn't write another decent sentence? Again, more unfounded fear.

One fear we don't often think of is fear of success. With success comes that unknown. If we have a novel accepted, the whole process is an unknown fear-producing event. A writer friend of mine has had a major publisher ask for a partial of her novel. However instead of being excited she has the queasy stomach, shaky hands and can't focus on the good stuff.

We all have fears but we can't let our fear rule our lives. We can't let fear rob us of the "good stuff".

Louis E. Boone says it well. "Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have."

"Come to the edge," he said.
They said, "We are afraid."
"Come to the edge," he said.
They came.
He pushed them...
And they flew.*



This week, dare to fly!

Jean

* by Peter McWilliams

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5 comments fear