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What are you afraid of?

 

 
Fear

 

So what is it you're afraid to write? I'm not talking about topics – like constructing a spy thriller which might be what you love to read but have no contacts for researching such an expansive project.

I'm asking what do you consider your weakness? What scares you when you place your fingers on the keys and know the upcoming scene is keeping you from depressing any of those letters?

Is it authentic dialogue? Is it enticing character development? Is it an action-heavy scene or pacing the story? What are you afraid of when you know it's coming or perhaps before you begin?

 

Father, you give us our inspiration, our courage, our hopes, and dreams. You supply the talent and we do our best to orchestrate it. Help us to complete what you have for us to do. Lord, apart from you, we can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

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5 responses to “What are you afraid of?”

  1. BK Jackson (@BKJacksonAZ) Avatar
    BK Jackson (@BKJacksonAZ)

    Writing emotion on the page. Because I walk to a different beat then most people. Some matters others consider virtually life and death in fiction are virtually meaningless to me, and things I consider nearly life and death may be meaningless to someone else.
    Clearly, that makes it hard to write characters and situations that appeal to the readers, because I can’t stop being me, but I’ve got to find a way to connect and show them why the things I write about–and the emotional situations they incur, are important.

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  2. Nicole Avatar
    Nicole

    Good point, Brenda. You’d mentioned you’d picked up a manuscript you hadn’t looked at in a long time and realized a scene was flat because of lack of emotional content.
    People come in all types. I have a friend who tries to be fairly stoic and is completely unemotional about certain things, but if one of her friends is hurting she brings hugs and tears.
    Nothing wrong with being who God designed you to be. As writers we’re forced to dig deep, to probe, to characterize different types of people and what they react to and how they react, and put it to the page. Yeah, it can definitely be scary.

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  3. Brenda Anderson Avatar
    Brenda Anderson

    I don’t know that I’m afraid of it per se, but my weakness is definitely including conflict & goals. My novels are character-driven & I’m good with inner tension, but I have to be very deliberate about setting outward goals & throwing in conflict. Thankfully I have a critique partner who excels at pointing out when I need to add them.

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  4. Nicole Avatar
    Nicole

    As do I. Life isn’t boom bang for most of us. We’re highly involved with the inner-tensions going on around us and within us. Some conflicts in novels are overblown and seem deliberate but not realistic, particularly in relationships. Grown-ups who can’t communicate with each other and wage these silent wars don’t resonate with me, and I tend to resent their conflicts.
    Character studies (which you and I both write) must keep it real. Sometimes huge conflicts aren’t real but configured to pass this supposed “necessary” standard for a “good” novel yet they come off as contrived.

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  5. Nicole Avatar
    Nicole

    (Bren, “As do I” referring to writing character-driven novels, not crit partners.)

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