I’m jumping into the third chapter of Fearless Writing: How to Create Boldly and Write with Confidence by William Kenower. This chapter challenged me in my approach to unfinished pieces. When I open my Google Drive it’s full of partial-manuscripts and half-finished short stories. I’ve completed only one manuscript and it is in need of serious TLC before I can move forward in the process with it.
This chapter is all about how to face the discomfort of resistance when we write. If we exert our own efforts we take a turn in the wrong direction. Oftentimes, that discomfort signifies that we need to stop focusing on words, rules, and audience and realign our feelings with the project.
“This is what I’m selling in my stories: a feeling. I am a feelings merchant.” (Kenower 28)
Facts are far less important to the reader than the feelings that they receive from your writing. So feel first; write second. It’s nearly impossible to write about a feeling that we haven’t also experienced in our own lives. Intellectually knowing an emotion is different than experiencing it.
Sometimes what our writing needs most is for us to get real on the page and let our emotions drip from our fingers.
Practice- Write down some of the lies that have kept you from moving forward on a project
“No one will want to read this.”
“This idea is stupid.”
“You have no idea what you are doing.”
“Does this even make sense?”
“This isn’t interesting.”
“You are not even good at writing. Why are you wasting your time?”
*Whenever these thoughts creep into your writing time and interrupt The Flow of writing, write them down. Stop what you are working on to address that thought on the spot. Then write down the many ways that it is incorrect.
The Ameri Brit Mom
The Ameri Brit Mom 