“Always Do What You Are Afraid To Do”
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Always do what you are afraid to do.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Tomorrow, I will send my agent the first one hundred pages of my second novel. Truth be told, I am terrified. I am afraid they are no good and I will have to start over. I am afraid they are very good and I will have to keep going. I am afraid of letting go of my young words, my new characters, my latest world.
The fear is real. And perhaps this is silly to you because we are talking about fiction. Make believe. The stuff of imagination.
The fear is real. And this is not silly, no, because we are talking about heart. Risk. The stuff of life.
I could hold on to my pages along with my pride. This would be fine. But I will not do this. I will send them along, one hundred pages of my new story, one hundred clues to who I am.
I will do it. My fingers will shake and my heart will flutter, but I will do it.
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What do you fear most these days? Is this the thing you should perhaps do or face? Do you agree that fear often highlights the things that matter most to us?
Everyone struggles and...
Hurrah for you! My heart leaps in my throat every time I send a MS to an agent … because these are my children, in a way, and if they get rejected I hurt for them even more than I do for me. If they are rejected it’s because I’ve failed to show how wonderful they really are, not because they aren’t wonderful. Oh, it’s a strange life being a writer!
I think the fear we all face on some level is not measuring up, not being good enough, being rejected. Whether it’s our parents, family, friends, editors, bosses, the world at large, or whoever, we want to be accepted and valued for what we’ve contributed.
My fear? That I’ll need to go back and get a job working for someone else. My dream is to stay and make a success of this farm life. I’m living that a day at a time, lucky me. I’d like to be able to make an impact with my words, speaking to others about what this life has taught me and why family farms are valuable places more folks should visit and patronize. I worry no one wants to hear what I have to say (don’t we all?) and that that particular part may not flesh out in time. But then I have moments like last week when someone tells me they admire me, for my work here at the farm, and for my words online on my own blog. That is so huge, and helps keep the dream alive despite the fear.
Your words? I can’t wait to read them. They won’t be perfect this time around, but they will be good. Most likely much, much better than good. If you weren’t nervous it would mean you didn’t really care about those words, and who wants to read something as uninspired as that?
Good luck Aidan! It is scary, the shadow of rejection looming. You will do it because you have to let the words go to seek a space of their own.
I love this – - reminds me of a chalkboard I saw displayed on a sidewalk in San Fran that read, “Do one thing everyday that scares you.” Excellent advice, indeed.
Congrats on this big accomplishment. Frigtening though it may be, I hope you also feel a sense of satisfaction in having reached what I suspect is a significant milestone in a new novel. (Kind of like the first hundred days of a presidency?) Keep plugging away!
I’m ready to start a family. And I’m with a man who wants to start one with me. As I see children and babies, I realize what a monstrous undertaking it is to raise a child. I don’t want to mess it up. But I can’t imagine anything, including writing, that could be more meaningful. Guess I take the plunge?
Congrats on your second book! Can’t wait to read.
I’ve always loved that quote. The best experiences I’ve had in my life are the ones I was scared to have.
A related thought: I only regret the things in life I did not try to do.
A second book? Hooray! While I completely understand your fear about sending this new work to your agent, I’m sure it’ll be as fantastic as your first. Trust in your talent.
I love that quote too. I was leaving for a race this summer, it was going to be close to 100 degrees and I was anxious. Half-sleeping my husband said “have fun, this is why you live-to do these things.” He was right. Do we get to hear a little about this 2nd novel? Any hints? Good job for putting yourself out there…again!
I’m still in the very beginning of my journey as a writer but I’m so encouraged by yours!
Good luck, my friend. I hope it goes exactly as you want it to.
So great to read this. Natalie Goldberg has a line about how the thing we are most afraid of is usually what we need to get over to accomplish our life dream.