Pull the Wool Over Your Eyes

I relieved the nursery caregiver during the children’s naptime. For a few minutes, I rocked beside a little girl asleep on her mat. I glanced down to see one little eye peeking up at me. The other opened and together they blinked away dazed confusion.

I smiled and kept rocking. The little girl’s eyelids heavied. She pulled her blanket up over her eyes, and returned to peaceful slumber.

I’ve done that before. I’ve believed, “If I can’t see the monster, it’s not really there!” And I have closed my mind to scary possibilities, believing if I shut my eyes and squeeze them tight, the danger disappears.

If I can’t see the monster, it’s not really there!

Obviously, in real danger, that way of thinking doesn’t work, but when it comes to writing for publication, it’s a downright good idea. Many times I’ve been on a roll, writing pages and pages and pages, when into my subconscience creeps a great big, ugly monster: Fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of acceptance. Fear of insignificance. Fear of importance. A dichotomy of desire and doubt that halts my progress and tempts me to hit DELETE.

So I close my eyes to the monster. Because, you know what? It’s not really there! Fear is a perception. It’s an emotion. It’s a deceiver. It’s Satan’s trick to prevent me from accomplishing God’s goals. If I let it scare me into quitting, I will make no impact on the world at all. I will not “go into all the world and make disciples” with my writing. I will not be a “good and faithful servant.” I will be serving the wrong master.

Next time that big, ugly Fear monster creeps up on you, do what I do. Go ahead and pull the wool up over your eyes!

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Practice Being Scared

Fear. In its grasp, a victim is paralyzed, bound by deception, held captive by miscues. Fear prohibits success, which is probably why it’s a common motivational theme these days. A recent Guideposts article by Phil Keoghan of TV’s “Amazing Race” suggests practicing being scared to overcome angst. He says the more we face fears, the easier it is to handle life’s challenges. Habitually taking on the things that scare us enables us to squelch fears as they flare.

Does writing scare you? A blank computer screen intimidates. What about query letters? Must word them just right. Book proposals drain more energy from an author than writing an actual book! Does the writer’s conference meet-the-editor (or agent) appointment tremble the boots off your feet?

Practice being scared. Open a new journal and record your day. Ask a trusted friend to pose as an editor, then submit an inquiry to him or her. Prepare a detailed outline of a book you’ve read. Use Terry Whalin’s Book Proposals that Sell as a guide. Ask your “editor” friend for a mock interview. Set timers, write without correcting errors, let a peer read a first draft, and practice being scared. Watch yourself escape anxiety’s grip.