Writer’s Paranoia

It starts the moment you make up your mind you want to write. Really write. Up till now you’ve written thank you notes, memos to teachers, maybe even dropped a poetic phrase or two in your journal. But now you want to really write—as in, turn on the compute, stare at the blank screen and start a story.

Paranoia begins the moment your blank screen pops up. Staring at the screen, you roll up your sleeves and poise your fingers over the keyboard. Sweat pops out on your forehead—and you’re not a sweaty kind of girl. You write:

“It was a dark and stormy night.”

That sounds mysterious enough. Or is it too cliché? Everybody and his dog puts his scary story in a storm.

“It was a dark night.”

No. It needs more umph. And who says it has to be dark? How about foggy? Yeah, that’s something a little different. And how about at twilight. That has a sort of Dick Tracy feel to it, wouldn’t you say?

And what’s with the “was”? They always say writers need to cut those out.

Hmm, “A foggy mist surrounded her at twilight when it happened.”

Yeah, that works. By the time you get to that phrase, you’re totally exhausted, the morning is gone—as is the bag of M&Ms resting mere inches from your mouse—and you’re totally clueless where to go from here. Besides, who will want to read it besides your mother? And what if they have a thousand submissions just like it? And what if the writing stinks? And, what if, oh my goodness, I've used too many "ing" words. And what if . . . . .

Ah, but what if they liked it? What if you could come up with a second page, and a third and a chapter and a BOOK?

My challenge to you this week is to allow the “what ifs” to take you down a positive road. I mean, what if you did that? You just might get that book finished—critiqued—submitted, PUBLISHED!