Truth Is … Writing is the Scariest Thing Ever

I recently read some truths about writing.

Truth is … these aren’t my original thoughts.  These words, however, do speak to my own feelings, feelings I wrongly assumed were original – and limited - to me. Turns out, however, that other aspiring writers must harbor some of these same feelings.

Truth is… these thoughts aren’t my original words because I’m not particularly geared to produce this type of writing.  Still, these words by Joe Bunting on thewritepractice.com express my feelings so perfectly that might as well have penned them:

The Truth About Your Story

-“You will never be ready to write your story.”

-“You will never have enough time.”

-“The fear won’t go away.”

-“It’s time to stop making excuses for yourself. It’s time to come out of hiding.”

-“Your story was meant to be shared. What are you waiting for?”

Bunting’s words speak to my fears.  More importantly, they call out my excuses.

Truth is … words like this than inspire seem to come along at the right time to motivate me. While they may not fully motivate me to action, at least they keep me from totally abandoning my dream.

Truth is, however, I am unable to embrace these words of wisdom and truly live them. 

Truth is, I am still scared to jump off into the unknown when it comes to my writing ideas.   Oh, I write daily. I turn out items such as press releases, business profiles, testimonials, events coverage and pitch letters without so much as a second thought.

But, pursue my ideas for a book?  I procrastinate, dither and avoid. I understand that failing to act is an action in and of itself.  No words – not even the ones from Bunting to which I repeatedly return - have yet propelled me past my own fears.

What if no wants to read it?  What if someone becomes upset that I gave voice to the subject matter? Really, how do I possibly think I’d be qualified to tackle this subject?  

Truth is, those are the questions I struggle with daily.  Somehow, though, I keep returning to Bunting’s final query….

“Your story was meant to be shared. What are you waiting for?”

Truth is, that’s a pretty good question. Truth is, I don’t really know.