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Why hitting ‘Publish’ Can Be So Hard
“Fear is felt by writers at every level. Anxiety accompanies the first word they put on paper and the last.” ― Ralph Keyes,
Unless you’re a seasoned writer, submitting your first piece into cyber-sphere can be as hard as pulling your own teeth, only more painful. Here’s why.
You want to write, right? For you, writing is like eating and breathing, it’s essential and you just have to do it.
You’ve lots to say, you’ve been practicing your writing in the background, a local newsletter here, daily journaling there, even the odd post on your own blog. But, taking the next step into a platform that has thousands of followers is suddenly, excruciatingly frightening. Why?
Because now you’re truly exposed.
Fear starts to build in your ankles and rushes up to your head, like an out-of-control locomotive. No amount of logic will calm your panicked mind and your body shakes in sympathy. Fear is just part of the creative process and the only way over the fear is to go through it. So, I’d like you to take a deep breath my writing friend, and know that help is at hand.
Having been on this journey, here’s what I’ve learnt.