The Gospel of Writing According to Marilyn, Chapter 6

Push Past Your Insecurities and Keep Moving Your Pen

Writing takes courage. Talent is part of the equation, but it is a smaller part. Becoming a writer takes a willingness to let people see who you really are. Determination is the key.

In January, after many suggestions over the years, I finally arranged to work with a channeler. I had glimpses through the years of what I call my Council of 12, a group of spirits guiding me through the perils of life's choices. I've found that when I pay attention to their voices, my life proceeds with ease. When I stop listening, trouble follows.

A specific set of messages had started to appear frequently, and although I resisted them, I was also drawn to find out why I was receiving them. Thus, I arranged the channeling session. During the session, I was told that I must begin to make all of my choices from openness and joy instead of from fear. When I asked how to know when I was choosing from fear, the spirit guide said, "It's simple. When there is struggle, there is fear. Look at the layers of the struggle and you will see some form of fear: jealousy, envy, anger, not being enough, insecurity, scarcity, and more."

This applies to everything, including writing. When there is struggle, when you feel like the internal critic has your brain on hold, look at where the fear is coming from. Then put that fear on sabbatical and write through it. As Susan Jeffers says in her book, "Feel the fear, then do it anyway!"

Let's talk for a minute about the fear factor in writing. When you sit down to start, you are committing to creating literature. This brings in many thoughts that will cause anxiety:

- You think about all the people who might read this, especially family members.

- You think that you have to be a voice of authority or no one will take you seriously.

- You think your writing has to dazzle.

- You have the pressure of deadline and length to consider.

With these and other pressures, it's no wonder you are hesitating. And you jump in anyway. And the first paragraph sounds terrible, the next one not much better. The third starts to look a little better. The fourth actually sounds pretty good. This is pretty typical of the writing process. Usually around that time you have found your voice and start to be yourself.