Killing "What If?"
Sitting
down to write after a dry spell can be exciting
and intimidating. Finally, you have some ideas; finally, something
sounds interesting; finally, there’s a project that’s making you tick. But it’s
scary too. Because after battling so much tiredness, lack of thoughts, or fear,
it’s hard to stand against a flood of “what if’s” that come.
What
if I again get too tired to write?
What if I run out of ideas? What if I lose
interest in this project? What if
this turns out stupid? What if I don’t make the deadlines I’ve set for myself?
What if…?
Those
thoughts aren’t easy to get rid of. But the only
way to overcome them is to start. Sit down. Power up the computer.
Open the document. And start.
And
after you start, there’s more excitement. You are actually enjoying yourself.
Maybe you’re plowing ahead at the fastest rate you’ve ever written. It’s like
your subconscious was stashing ideas, and now they’re coming out as fast as you
can type.
But
more “what if’s” greet you too. What if I’m
writing too fast? What if I’m not putting enough thought into my outline? What if the love sublot is copying that awesome
novel I read three years ago?
And
you start to feel guilty for enjoying yourself so much. Because it feels wrong
somehow.
Stop.
Take a breather. Listen.
It’s
okay if your outline is a mess. If the ideas contradict each other. If you have lots of question marks at the end of your ideas. It’s okay if you wonder
if you’re pushing yourself enough or if this is too easy. It’s okay if
something feels dumb at first. Revision is a thing. The important thing is that
you’re writing.
Shut out the voices. Foster the excitement. Keep shoving ahead.
Write.
…
What
scares you the most about writing? What excites you? Tell me about it in the
comments!
…
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