An LA's Writers' Lab Writing Exercise in Fear

Because our fears are often mirrored by those of our protagonist’s, Alan Watt of the LA Writers’ Lab has come up with what he calls the Fear Exercise. It goes something like this: write for five minutes as fast as you can starting with “I’m afraid to write this story because. . .” He recommends making a list of as many fears as you can think of. The following is his list from his book The 90-day Novel of the possible fears you may have:

·         I will fail.

·         I will succeed.

·         My family will hate me.

·         I will discover that I am not really a writer.

·         I will discover that I am a writer and then I’ll have to keep doing this.

·         I will die.

·         I am wasting my time.

·         I am not good enough.

·         It will be superficial.

·         I won’t be able to figure it out.

·         I won’t do it right.

·         I will find out I am a bad person.

·         Nobody will care.

·         I will be alone.

Whatever your fears, most writers have them. You may even find that some of your fears correspond to those of your protagonist. Just don’t let your fears stand in the way of your writing. In fact, let them motivate you and even enhance your story. Your readers will be able to relate to your fear. Watt makes this point when he writes, “If we give ourselves permission to write from this raw, vulnerable place, our work becomes relatable.” Don’t fear your fear when beginning your novel, embrace it.