Flipping the Script on Fear

Trusting the process and writing from a place of wonder.

There are so many unknowns in writing. As in life.

Is my premise interesting?

Can I find an agent?

Can I sell?

Can I sell again?

And even deeper and more dire….what if I can’t do this. Whatever this next thing is. Every time I get an editorial letter, I worry I can’t do it. Every time I start a new project, I worry I can’t do it. Every time I am offered a gig outside my comfort zone I worry I can’t do it.

The stories we tell ourselves are vital.

If we tell ourselves the editor hates the book, that they will leave the house mid project, thus orphaning the book, that my agent hates the project or has lost faith in my work, it hurts. It inflicts harm. And here’s the truth—we don’t have control over any of that.

But what if we flipped that script and told ourselves a story that would empower us and not make us feel at the whim of the wide world, as Shakespeare said in one of my favorite of his plays, Much Ado About Nothing. I also love the movie.

Mostly, we need to not be too scared to ask for help.

Or too scared to venture out into the woods.

That’s where the magic is.

We know this because every great fairy tale, horror movie, or even cozy mystery starts with an unknown world. Or a known world revisited.

The excitement of being wild(in the forest), sophisticated (in the city), and completely comfy (inside on a snowy day) lives in the the anticipation. This is going to fun. This is going to be new or different. This is going to wake me up in all the best ways. Even if that renewal comes on the heels of a difficult time. Maybe especially so.

In 2018 I published a book about a neurodiverse kid who hikes the Appalachian Trail to gain autonomy over his educational choices. He has massive sensory issues and emotional regulation issues. Camping is literally not his thing. He needs the comfort of the known world where coffee is ready for him when he gets up, he can wear cotton clothes that feel right on his skin, and he can control everything in his world. Except the uncontrollable hand of fate. Grappling with his father’s death, he throws himself into a world that is completely unknown, feeling like it’s the only way to find himself again.

I have never hiked the Appalachian Trail, but I’ve been low key obsessed with it for over thirty years. Who does this hard thing on purpose? Who could hike for six months when weather is uncontrollable, hiking conditions are variable, and where I’d be responsible for anticipating and providing every thing I’d need along the way. I watched hours of YouTube videos and read all sorts of books on this particular trek. I immersed myself from the safety of my own home. I didn’t do this so I could write a book. I did it because it was interesting to me on a level I could not adequately fill until I wrote that book.

The main takeaway—sometimes you have to throw away everything you think you know about yourself and trust.

That’s what writing is. What life is.

That’s why we venture out.

That’s why we read.

We want to be transported.

We want to believe.

So when you are writing, it should be to satisfy a need on your part since you are your first reader. Write what you know. Write what you love. As Paula Munier says, write what you want to know. The readers will show up. Like that Field of Dreams mantra, if you write(build) it, they will come. But only if you have written out of love and passion and in order to find out something about the universe and yourself. Do that. Circling back to that iconic film. Everyone quotes if you build it but my favorite line of that film by far was "People will come, Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom…"

That’s the stuff. When you are inspired and writing from a place of passion, people will discover your book before they even know they need it. That’s a promise—not from me but from the wide world. Turns out Will knew of which he spoke.

My rec’s for this week:

Into the Wild both the movie and the book. I am fascinated about why this young man rejected the known so hard that it ended up in deep tragedy.

The Devil Wears Prada both the book and the movie are all time favorites for me and for my family. Three generations of my family watched this movie over and over again to the point where we quote it extensively. It might even get annoying, but that’s us. I love when something can stay with you for as long as this one did.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Both the book and the movie. Both are fantastic and I loved the inclusion of the PCT approach in Gilmore Girls A Year in the Life when Lorelei does the “Wild” trip and the tour guide asks if she’s doing the book or movie version. Man, that’s as meta as it gets and I am here for it.

And now for my BIG ASK…

Which is the thing I am most fearful of doing. Asking you, my readers, my friends, my peers, to take a chance on my new book, Spellbound by Murder. But it’s more than that. It’s if you were considering buying it at some point, could you pre-order it between July 8-July 11th using this code: PREORDER25 to get 25% off!!! It’s a win-win-win situation!

Pre-orders can sometimes make or break a book launch and therefore subsequent books. I will say, if you are considering pre-ordering my book, this would be the most beneficial to me at this time. It would earn you my eternal gratitude. And a special place in my heart. I may even let you name a character in the next book. How? Am I doing an elaborate give-away? Nah. But if you pre-order and then leave a comment here with a name you want used, I will do my best.

Until next week, I hope you will find a way to write fearlessly and from the deepest parts of your heart and mind. If you write it….they will buy. Counting on that, my people.