When I was young, my mum read me a book called Fraidy Cat.
Now, that book was ancient. She’d won it in a school competition back in the ’60s, so it was dog-eared and faded but most definitely well-loved.
Funnily enough, Fraidy Cat was about a cat who was afraid of everything.
I’ve never been a massive cat person myself, but even from a young age I could relate to Fraidy Cat.
You see, I’m afraid of a lot of things. Spiders. Flying. Dentists.
But there used to be one thing that terrified me more than anything else, and I didn’t even realise: my writing.
I loved writing, but I was also petrified of it.
What if I’d spent years studying creative writing, only to suck at it? What if nobody loved my characters as much as me? What if my books didn’t sell?
What if, what if, what if?
I was so consumed by ‘what if’ scenarios that I stopped writing all together.
Nearly two decades of work and £20,000+ of university debt was almost wasted because I was controlled by my fears.
It seems like I’m not the only one, though.
More than 80% of the global population want to write a book, yet the majority never do.
Sure, life can get in the way, but if you want to do something badly enough, you find a way to do it. Lack of time is often an excuse to not do something because we’re too afraid to.
Our fears stop us from applying for jobs, meeting new people, and travelling alone.
They stop us from pursuing relationships, moving home, and chasing our dreams.
They stop us a whole lot more than we think.
We spends so much time worrying about if people will like our finished books that our characters and our stories never even get the chance to leave our minds and take on lives of their own.
Your readers never get a chance to fall in love with your characters like you have.
Your readers never get a chance to escape reality in your fictional world.
And your readers never get the chance to get to know you, their new favourite author.
Do you want to spend more time with your characters?
Do you want to get to know your readers, aka your new best friends?
Do you want to stop worrying and start writing?
In this handy guide you’ll discover how I overcame my fear and anxiety about sharing my writing with the world and got my ideas down on paper.
They’re simple, actionable tips that you can get started with right away. (Yes, really!)
Using the advice in this guide I’ve self-published three books in 14 months, written weekly blog posts, and been featured in publications such as Thrive Global and The Huffington Post.
You don’t get opportunities like that from being controlled by your fears.
So, are you ready?
It’s time for you to ignore the naysayers.
It’s time for you to ignore the people who tell you that you can’t write (that includes yourself, btw).
It’s time for you to stop worrying and start writing!
With such practical, insightful posts on writing, reading, editing, publishing, productivity and marketing, I’m loving The Writer’s Cookbook! from @KristinaAuthor #amwriting #amreading #writingtips #writinglife https://t.co/20R1mLUXaB
— Katie Mutrie (@KBMutrie) 1 March 2018
Download your copy of 5 Ways to Stop Worrying and Start Writing
Receiving my 5 ways to stop worrying and start writing also means you’ll get my weekly writing ingredients emails, which is jam-packed with advice on every step of the writing process, from research to publication. You’ll also get your questions answered in my monthly reader questions. There may be the odd sales email too, but I promise to never pass your details on to anyone else. That’s not my style. You can unsubscribe at any time, but there’ll be so much going on you won’t want to!
If something doesn’t come through to your inbox in the next few minutes, check your spam folder (and don’t forget to whitelist future emails from thewriter@writerscookbook.com 😉 ).
@KristinaAuthor I had a blast talking and connecting with you today during #TwitterSmarter. I’m also totally digging your content ?
— Kristopher Crump (@kriscrump) 8 March 2018
Hi Kristina, I tried downloading ‘5 ways to stop worrying and start writing’ but it keeps coming up with ‘page missing’.
Hi June, that book is no longer available. This page unfortunately slipped through the cracks and should’ve been unpublished!
Thanks for your reply, Kristina. Do you answer these issues somewhere else? Or in one of your books?
It’s covered in much more depth in Productivity for Writers. There are also loads of posts on here about mental health where myself and other writers discuss our journeys. If there’s something specific you’re having issues with, feel free to drop me an email 🙂