Fear = Writing Inspiration

When I was little, I was afraid of the dark. I had nightmares of giants trying to eat me and that ever present unseen hand that would grab my shoulder and rip me back down the basement stairs that I struggled to run up in slow motion. When I was older, I still flipped off the light, ran across the room, leaped into bed, and pulled the covers up over my head. I was scared of seeing a ghost, being abducted by aliens, and was terrified of encountering Bigfoot (and not the nice one who helped the Six-Million-Dollar Man either) or some crazy hermit in the woods out back of our house. I was afraid of going into haunted houses. I was afraid of roller coasters and most other rides at any amusement park or fair. I was afraid of school bullies and of being rejected by a beautiful girl.

Now I'm afraid of different things. Of someone or something harming my children, of getting cancer or some progressively degenerative disorder such as MS or Altzheimers disease. I am afraid of getting in a terrible auto accident (I commute many miles each week) or of losing my job. Not quite as fantastic as getting abducted by aliens, but everyday "practical" fears are often just as frightening as the fantastic ones you had as a child because as an adult you know that these things can happen and may have happened to you or someone you know.

Many writers make a living specifically exploiting our fear. Stephen King, Mary Higgins Clark, and Dean R. Koontz just to name a few. But then again, most fiction writers play with our fear in some form or fashion. Think about Jacquelyn Mitchard's The Deep End of the Ocean (child abduction), Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones (kidnapping and murder of a teenage girl) or any John Grisham novel (bad guys and evil lawyers exploiting an innocent or unsuspecting hero) . As good writers we must make our readers afraid for the characters in our stories. The reader has to care and hope that the character overcomes their obstacles. The character also must have something at stake that they can loose.

As non-fiction writers, there are plenty of things to write about that can evoke fear: unethical CEOs, environmental disaster, poverty, racism, animal cruelty, random acts of violence, school shootings, war, terrorism and too many others to list here.

Fear is an essential element of writing. So if you are stuck, list all of the things that you are afraid of, both rational and irrational fears, and write. (October 2003)

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7 Ways to Find Time to Write

The most common problem I hear about in my writing classes and workshops is not being able to find time to write. Here are 7 ways to find time to write:

Eat at your desk - If you get an hour for lunch every day. Take a half hour of that time 2 to 3 times a week and write. Time found: 30 to 90 minutes per week

Write during a coffee break - Most jobs give you two 15-minute breaks every eight hours you work. Many of us don't take advantage of them, or we fritter them away BS-ing with our co-workers or staring at the vending machine. Find a quiet place, take a notebook and write. Time found: 15 to 30 minutes each day

Order a pizza - It takes time to cook. Instead of cooking tonight, order a pizza and write while you wait to have it delivered. Time found: 30 to 45 minutes

Get to work early/leave late - Try to get to work 15 to 30 minutes before you are on the clock. Work on your writing at that time. I personally think that starting early works better than leaving later because, you usually are fresher at the beginning of the day… unless you are just not a morning person. Time found: 15 to 30 minutes per day

Get up early on your day off - I love to sleep in on weekends. I usually get up at 6am during the week, so being able to sleep in to 7 or 8am is bliss. I try to resist the urge at least one of the days out of the weekend and only sleep in an extra half-hour or hour at most, and go write to the desk and write when the time arrives. Time found: 30 minutes to 2 hours

Let the cleaning go - Chores are always around, begging to be done-dirty dishes, lawn mowing, vacuuming, flowerbed weeding, laundry, and much more. Make a commitment at least twice a week to write for at least a half-hour before you begin your chores. If they don't get done one night, the world won't come to an end, so let them slide a day. Time found: 30 to 60 minutes per week

Cut back on TV - TV is one of the biggest time wasters out there. Surely you don't need to see every snap of the latest Buckeye or Browns game. One of the ways that I make my game day TV watching more efficient is to use TiVo to tape the game and then I can watch it in high speed, skipping through commercials, huddles, and bland color commentary and watch only the action. This can save up to an hour of time for a 3 hour game. Maybe you can give up a half-hour of evening news each night, or a re-run or game show that you didn't really care too much about anyway. Time found: 30 to 60 minutes per day

Finding the time to write is about sacrifice. What are you willing to give up to pursue your dream? Surely you can implement a few of the ideas above to find a few minutes each day to write, or come up with your own. (August 2004)