Overcoming Writing Anxiety

Anxiety about writing: feeling tense as you approach or sit at the keyboard, a gripping sensation deep in your gut, shoulders creep up to your ears, paralyzed thought processes. Sounds a lot like a form of Writer's Block, no? It can be, and it can strike both fiction and nonfiction writers at any time. Seldom is the cause the writing process or tools you use (unless you have a weird phobia), although the subject or topic you're attempting to write about may cause such fear. A lot of tension can surround a writer's first love scene or sexual encounter (in the writing, not the writer's life).

New writers commonly are so afraid of experiencing rejection (which we all do) that they can't get to the submission gate. A way out of this is to realistically think about "What's the worst that could happen?" The worst is that you'll get a slip of paper in the mail, or an email, that says, "No thanks." Working writers may feel nervous over their earnings. Some of us never overcome performance anxiety, hesitating to make that first mark on a blank page or entry box, but it does remind us we're ALIVE!

Whatever is making you anxious about writing, some practices that can help include using affirmations about yourself (tape a big one on your monitor if necessary), relaxation exercises, giving yourself permission to fail or to write just anything not for publication for a set period. In the case of money problems, it is acceptable to take a break and get a day job or work part-time doing something else to earn income for a while. Sometimes we just simply need a break from writing.