Lisa Sharpe's Blog - Posts Tagged "fear"

9. “Good writing is often about letting go of fear and affectation.”

Last year Stephen King gave the world 36 killer writing tips. http://thewhynot100.blogspot.com/2014...
Authored By Brad Herzog

In my head, lesson 9. was what stuck out the most to me since "Fear and Affectation" hit close to home. How can you be a great writer and still hold back? Holding back isn't an option.
I imagined myself in front of a group of readers, reading hesitantly with sweaty palms and lumps in my throat. Experiencing all of this because of fear of what I've written. But then I look at some of the great authors that are out there and wondered if fear held them back at some point.
I couldn't imagine reading Fifty Shades of Grey knowing the author held back. It probably wouldn't have been so interesting. I remember that book going around the call center floor at least a dozen times. Even in the chat messages... "Are you finished with Fifty Shades of Grey?" I'm reading it next.
The eighteenth tip caught my eye also and had me thinking about my own approach at writing.
18. “You can approach the act of writing with nervousness, excitement, hopefulness, or even despair– Stephen King

However, for me, the excitement is always there from the beginning to the end of the book. It may just be that something became of the brainstorming and it puts me on a roll, sometimes getting 2-3 chapters done in a day. This seems to impress others around me and now, they're throwing stories at me left and right.

So having a no holds barred approach to writing could lead to a best seller. Just don't hold back. Expect your reader to be shocked. Especially with long works of fiction. All those long daunting pages require more than just fillers.