ISBW #130 LITE- Fear

4 Responses to ISBW #130 LITE- Fear

1. Jenny Bean says:

   September 12, 2009 at 7:52 am

   This was a great podcast, Mur. Fear is a debilitating factor for so many people. I won’t lie. I have my fears too, and I think sometimes one of my greatest fears is success and completion, because if I succeed or complete the things I’m working on now, what will be left for me? What if I have nothing else, no further inspiration after I unleash what’s inside me now? Sometimes when the fears are evaluated, they really seem crazy. You know it’s a real inspiration that despite your fears, you press on and continue to do the things that matter to you. Thanks for this morning piece of inspiration, and may the force be with you at that banquet and in the finishing of your book!
2. Arkle says:

   September 12, 2009 at 1:24 pm

   There’s another fear that some writers (myself included) have. It even has an official name which I learned last night.

   Acquired Situational Narcissism.

   To put it in the simplest terms I can think of, I’m afraid that if my books somehow manage to get mass market appeal, as opposed to just selling copies to friends, family, and fellow podcasters which I’m doing currently, I’m going to wind up becoming a complete a**hole.

   I’ve had that fear for some time and I’m the first to admit it has held me back. The book I gave you at BaltiCon? The first draft was finished in 2008. I started it in 2003. Yeah, that book. That thin-as-XBox-cases book. And all because I have this fear of turning into a walking ego.

   Of course my fear only seems irrational until you look at the bartender who wrote the film Boondock Saints. I’d rather fail than turn into that dude.
3. Will says:

   September 14, 2009 at 7:29 pm

   Have you found that confessing your fears has caused them to wither? Kinda like the monster with the light on…
   Arkle’s ASN makes a lot of sense, but all fears do before we stare’em in the face, don’t they.
4. Lois says:

   November 1, 2009 at 9:17 pm

   Just wanted to say thank you for this podcast. I think many writers and especially first time novelists deal with fear. It took a lot of courage on your part to say so. And I appreciate it. It’s what got me to listen.

   I definitely succumb to the fear that if “it ain’t perfect, don’t even bother”. So debilitating and often an excuse for not putting the words to the page. I have been given the gift of a wonderful story and I have often wondered why me? I don’t feel up to the task and I wonder why this story wasn’t given to a seasoned author.

   Well, it was given to me. And I still hold out hope that I will deliver it in all its glory.

   Thanks again. Better to be done than perfect is a good motto .