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.

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What scares you the most about writing? What excites you? Tell me about it in the comments!

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