Write Dangerously. Write Freely.

stsathyre:

One of the things I feel attribute to writers’ block more than anything is fear. Fear of being judged, fear of self, fear of fear, fear of you-name-it. Whatever it is that we’re afraid of freezes our creativity.

Some of the things we’re afraid to be judged upon include:

• People thinking the main character is a reflection of the writer
• People thinking the antagonist is a reflection of the writer
• People thinking the plot is a reflection of the writer’s life
• People thinking a character’s desires are our desires

Screw those people. They’re idiots. As a writer and as a consumer of products you know full well that unless otherwise stated, the writer is not always writing about themselves.

“Is that about you?”

“No.”

“You like that sex?”

“No.”

“Why’d you write it?”

“Because I’m trying to tell a goddamned story!”

If you are writing what other people want to read and not necessarily what you want to read because of some sort of stigma. Stop. If you are writing a censored version of the story you want to tell because you are afraid of what others will think of you. Stop. If you are writing anything other than what you want to write. Stop.

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