Writers Worth: Fear and Your Worth

I get by with a little help from my friends. — John Lennon and Paul McCartney

The end of the month. This month. Writers Worth Month.

This has been a surprisingly impactful event this year. It started with me coming up with a post idea for one person to write about fear. Then it hit me — why not make that everyone’s idea? Why not keep it a loosely guarded secret, too?

I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t be happier with the results.

Part of me did it because I was just too emotionally worn out to come up with about 20 new ideas.

In this case, laziness paid off.

Don’t think I thought I was all so very clever, either. A few times I thought You idiot — you’re not really solving anything by just focusing on fear.

I was wrong.

As I read through every post, from Anne Wayman’s to Emily Montgomery’s, I realize that no matter where we are in our freelance writing careers, we all share the same connection to fear:

It’s there. Always. And we work every day with it looming over us, be it small fears or a massive ones.

Today, the last day of Writers Worth, is typically my day to wrap it up, give you some profound message, and wish you well on your way to improving your freelance career.

But this has been a month of firsts. Today is no different.

Cathy Miller heeded the call when I asked for some extra guest posts. Her post is exactly the wrap-up we need for what’s been an enlightening, life-altering month of sharing.

Thank you to everyone who’s posted, who’s commented, and who’s shared. Without you, there’s no way this would have been as fantastic as it was.

And now for our final post of Writers Worth 2018.

Cathy, take us home.

Fear is Just Another Four-Lettered Word for Worth It

by Cathy Miller

Can I get a standing O for Lori and all her great guest bloggers for Writers Worth month? If you’ve missed any of the fear-themed posts, I recommend you reserve some reading time. Talk about worth it.

Those of you who maintain your own blog know what a monumental task this was for Lori to coordinate. I told Lori to let me know if she wanted more than one post to help ease some of the burden of pulling this off. With this post, I have the advantage of having read what others wrote about fear. I am inspired by the great talent and generous support of so many different writers.

Reading the Writers Worth posts this month, one message became clear to me.

[bctt tweet=”Fear may be a four-lettered word, but real writers know the journey is worth it.” username=”LoriWidmer”]

Facing Fear

Why do writers put up with fear? Wouldn’t it be easier to walk away from writing so you wouldn’t have to face that gut-wrenching fear? If you’re a writer, you already know the answer.

“I write for the same reason I breathe – because if I didn’t, I would die.”

― Isaac Asimov

It’s not a question of if I should write. It’s how do I face the fear so I can write. That’s what many of the guest bloggers shared. Here are a few of their ideas.

A Writer’s Approach

Lori Widmer kicked it off in her opening post. She zeroed in on the business side of writing and how to put fear in its place by sharing a friend’s perspective, “Treat freelancing like it’s your only option.” One of the best features of this blog is Lori’s ability to forge through the yammering to offer simple and practical solutions for succeeding at this freelancing game.

Anne Wayman has mastered the art of saying yes to her writing to combat fear. I’ve always loved Anne’s tagline, Write well and often. There you go.

Mika Doyle recently made the leap to freelancing. I know in the short time since meeting Mika (through the power of social media) that she will be successful. After all, she’s a writer. Mika finds knowledge and people to be her most powerful tools for keeping fear at bay.

Nancy Oliver nails it when she pursues her dream with the simple resolution to be courageous. Is there really any other way? So, get out your best superhero outfit (you can leave out the tights if that’s a different kind of fear).

Lori is back with a word about competition. I love her advice that we don’t waste time chasing the wrong thing. Spend too much time looking over your shoulder, and you’ll end up watching from your rear.

Devon Ellington has a handle on fear. In fact, she believes fear can keep you alive. Now, what’s so scary about that? I’ve always admired how Devon goes after what she wants.

Jake Poinier strips fear of its cloak of mystery and recognizes its villainous forms as pretty much fears between my ears. I’ve never thought Jake had a big head when it comes to freelancing. He’s just damn good at it.

Joy Drohan chooses to focus on the positive side of freelancing to shut down fear. She feels privileged to be excited and inspired by what she does. And we’re privileged to get to know her as a writer and a great human being.

Mary Schneider uses her snipe hunting skills to depict the worst case scenarios in freelance writing. When fear gets in her crosshairs, she will face it down and eliminate the snipes of writing. (Never been snipe hunting? Check out the post).

Dana Ford shares fiction writer, Frank Hebert’s view of fear as a mind-killer. Think about that. It’s not just writer’s block. It’s a mind killer as we lose out on your special gift. Dana will face it and work through it, inspired by Hebert’s Litany Against Fear – “only I will remain.” Wow.

Emily Fowler not only conquered the road to freelancing, she took a route outside her finance comfort niche from her day job. Her writing and her passion united into one happy family. Emily believes in remembering our true worth.

Sharon Hurley Hall is a consummate professional with a ton of web cred. So, when you read how she is a mere mortal like the rest of us, you feel inspired. Sharon chose not to give in – and it shows.

Paula Hendrickson views fear as your friend. Hey, you know what they say about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. Paula believes fear is one of the best motivators. I don’t know about you, but that whole eating thing motivates me.

It’s Personal

If you ever wanted an example of true courage in the face of fear, read Yo Prinzel’s and Jen Mattern’s submissions. Their bare-all honesty left me in awe and shattered my idea of bravery.

Yo Prinzel wrote that if you want to be a good writer, you need the courage to make yourself vulnerable. She explains that when you write with honesty, you’re actually being ruled by courage instead of the fear you thought ruled your life. I’ve nicknamed Yo as Captain Courageous in my mind. And she would wear those tights!

Jenn Mattern shares her very personal battle and how she finds motivation in fear. The incredible pride she takes in our industry and her generosity in helping those just starting out is mind-boggling. Despite what some may view as a deck stacked against her, Jenn writes that what she does know is that she will always write. And we are so glad she does.

Emily Montgomery has an interesting twist on facing fear. She explains that not writing terrifies her more than writing. And we’re back to why writers put up with fear.

Fear is our alarm signal that writing is worth it, and the alternative is too scary to imagine.

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Cathy Miller has a business communications blog at Simply stated business. Her blog, Why 60 Miles, is inspired by her passion for walking 60 miles in 3 days to support research for finding a cure for cancer.