Anxiety is not only an inevitable part of the writing process but a necessary part. If you’re not scared, you’re not writing.

...wrote Lawrence Block. "Someone once told me that fear and courage are like lightning and thunder; they both start out at the same time, but the fear travels faster and arrives sooner. If we just wait a moment, the requisite courage will be along shortly." (quoted from Write for Your Live by Lawrence Block)

Serious writers write, inspired or not. Over time they discover that routine is a better friend than inspiration.

One thing I like about writing is that it provides such a wonderful opportunity for confidential chats with readers. In the privacy of writing, and reading, we can discuss topics that are a little touchy, a bit embarrassing, and feel less alone in the process. Feeling consumed by memories from high school. Feeling wimpy. Feeling time-obsessed. Yearning for our fathers. Wishing we were taller, or shorter, or less average. To name just a few.

Fear is felt by writers at every level. Anxiety accompanies the first word they put on paper and the last.

I think that simply nudging yourself into unfamiliar settings - physical or emotional - can produce surprising results on the writing front.

Anxiety is not only an inevitable part of the writing process but a necessary part. If you’re not scared, you’re not writing.