Reasons & Realities 10

Fear vs Procrastination

     To be more precise; Fear kills more creativity than procrastination. Recently, I was able (to have a moment to breath) to read a few things from people who wanted to know my thoughts about getting them unstuck in their writing.
This wouldn’t be strange except for all of the disclaimers that came along with the request that I had to maneuver around just to get to the point. Now, I like a good disclaimer as well as the next person who wants to cover their but. However, it seemed as if each one of these loopholes were geared more towards their feelings getting hurt then protecting their line of thought. I must admit, I do have things that I have written, and is still writing, that had begun several years ago that may never see the light of day. But (and he comes the disclaimer) it’s mainly because I don’t want to. Yes, I’m pulling out the first grade card and have chosen not to play well with others. However, soon after having a few back and forth with several of these talented people, their insecurities rose to the surface and so did a few of mine. It was like traveling down memory lane and it wasn't pretty. Been there, done that, and still holds several scars across my ego, but (as one of my loving sister would say); “Keep it moving kid,” snarl. And, in light of this new revelation, I’ve decided to do just that by pointing out some helpful ways to get over the writers’ equivalent to stage fright. These aren’t the only ways, but just a few that were given to me and a few I had learned on my own. The best of the bunch is knowing the signs, look for trouble, and to keep it moving. But, let’s start out with what I see is the difference between fear and procrastination.

Fear vs Procrastination

     Fear for me is having completed (or nearly completed) a manuscript and you are afraid of letting anyone see it or any part of it, but you really want to. Procrastination on the other hand is making up excuses not to send it on at all. In most cases you say more than actually want to do anything about moving on to the next step even if that is letting someone you had told about your manuscript read it. Oh you promised to send it, and even written down all the information, but for some reason you just can find the time. Fear stops you cold where procrastination just doesn’t have the time to actually do something about it. you might say that there is little difference when it come to the outcome, but there is. Procrastination can be controlled by a deadline where fear wouldn’t even allow you to even consider taking that monumental step. You can persuade a procrastinator, but you have a better chance stopping the sun from rising, then force a person who has fear of changing their mind. there is only one thing that can help a person who has fear and that is trust.

     Not only does a person who had fear must trust in themselves, they must trust in others. Isn’t that the bases of their fear of letting someone read their work in the first place. Now, I am far from saying that this trust is on par with a woman who had just had a baby and trust her husband not to drop their child. However, for some who have spent years of their lives composing, scrutinizing, and reworking their story, it sure feels like placing your newborn in someone’s hands. There is another feat that is just a debilitation on the other end of the spectrum, but I think it’s more important to know the difference and the signs between the two in order to deal with them.

Knowing The Signs

     There are two types of fear when it comes to writing (yes, there are only two). Knowing the two will help with your approach on how to handle each of them Those two are the fear rejection and the fear of acceptance. There is nothing in-between those two, because that else would stop a person who would force an artist  from moving forward. More and more I’m hearing people speak about the “The Fear of Success!” I kind of blame that on those shows that ask questions of those who had lost their animosity or had fallen down the Rabbit’s Hole (Alice and Wonderland Reference) into a world of sex, drugs, and their poor choices of friends.

Look For Trouble

     In place of just asking for family, friends, and others their thoughts, ask them to point out what they can find that is wrong with your work. In this way, you don’t have to worry that they might not like it, but are now free to help you make it better. I’ve found that when I look for trouble it’s a hell of a lot easier on that little man call anxiety living between my ears. The little bugger is always banging his little drum and laughing at me about how horrible what I had written and that I shouldn’t have let anyone see it because they would all be laughing at me behind my back. It’s always a great feeling when the problems with what I had written comes to my attention. Now, why would seeing my story cut to shreds be a good feeling you might ask? It is because along with those complaints (even if the story was too short) was the reasons for the complaints, what would make it understandable, and what they truly liked about the story as a whole. I’ve just went from dreading someone looking at my work to getting help from fresh eyes and minds to make it better. That sure in the hell beats sitting in some dark corner chewing on fingernails waiting for the world you’ve constructed to crumble and die. This is of course the pros of looking for trouble. Now onto the Cons.

     You may have a few who doesn’t like what you had written at all and leave it at that. before you think their opinion is the only ones that matter and give up completely, ask them if it is your story that they don’t like or it’s not the kind of story they like to read. Don’t be surprised when you hear that it’s just not something they like to read. Just find out what they like reading and put it on a list for the type of stories and if you decide to venture into that genre, then you have someone who will be more than happy to help you when next you go looking for trouble. Of course, there will be some who believe the story should’ve gone in a different direction and strongly suggest that major changes to be done. It’s never a good idea to argue with someone who is trying to make their own story from someone who had already done all of the heavy lifting. It’s best to tell them that their ideas are something you would not like to have someone say wasn’t your own. Another person you might have to deal with is those who don’t like what you had written because they think that what you had done isn’t special and they could’ve done a better job. The only thing I can say about this type of person is to back off, thank them for reading your stuff, and keep it moving.

Keep It Moving

     Now that you’ve put it out there. Now that you know what is bad, acceptable, and have them doing a Billy Idol impersonation (Billy Idol was an 80’s rock star) asking for more, more, and more, move onto the next anxiety while the feeling of this one is melting away. By doing this, it will feel less of a long uphill battle and more like climbing a flight of stairs. It won’t be insurmountable or littered with things that will have you fall back down. Now don’t get too confident and think you got this problem licked, but as time and practice in combating the signs of what is holding you back from releasing your thoughts and ideas out into the world, the easier it will become. Just please remember that as hard as you worked to get over one hurdle, you will have to work twice as hard to constantly fight down what had caused you to have fear of rejection or acceptance in the first place. so, as you look forward, never forget where you had been, and strive to keep it moving even if it is only a slight nudge as long as it is in the right direction.  There is someone out there who you don’t know and they are waiting for what you have to say. Don’t make them wait too long. Get back to work. SD

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