Doing Things that Scare You
Let’s take a peek at the cogs inside the machine and talk about why I write and how I write on Behind the Scenes Sunday! Today I’d like to talk about the importance of doing things that make you scared in your writing life (and in other areas of your life) and ways you can trick yourselves into being brave!
If you aren’t taking risks, you are never changing. You are never challenging yourself. You are never growing. But there’s no point in pretending that taking risks is anything other than terrifying.
It’s scary doing new things. It’s scary trying something when you don’t know whether or not it will be successful — whether or not you will be successful. And sometimes, the consequences of taking a risk that doesn’t work out are very real and very serious.
So how do you be brave and do it anyway? How can you trick yourself into heading once more into the breach, even when you’re shaking in your boots? Here’s a few ideas:
- Tell yourself it’s okay to be scared. I think sometimes just accepting that you’re feeling fear and being okay with it, sitting with the so-called “negative emotion” and coming to terms with it, is the best thing you can do for yourself. Once you realize it’s okay to be scared, the state loses some of it’s power over you.
- Imagine your life after the thing you’re scared of has been completed. Scared of doing a speech in public? Of writing that book? Of asking that bookstore to feature you? Just imagine what your life will be like ONCE THAT THING HAPPENS. Think about how good you’ll feel. How relieved. The benefits you will be reaping!
- Draw support from your life cheerleaders. We all have cheerleaders in our lives — people who support us no matter what. If you’re feeling scared, don’t be afraid to reach out to these people and let them cheer you on to victory! They’ll also be there for you if things don’t go so great.
As always, if you’re interested in supporting me and my work, thank you: Hungry is the Night, my paranormal romance, is available on all major platforms, as are my classic murder mysteries with scifi twists, The Cadence Turing Mystery series!