Write What You Fear

Taking power back through storytelling

A common piece of writing advice is to write what you know. But I’m going to offer you a different piece of advice: Write what you fear.

This piece of advice stems from an author visit that my middle school school hosted a few years ago. We brought in K.R. Alexander, who writes mystery and horror books for kids. Think It and Chucky and anything with creepy dolls for 8-12-year-olds. Kids loved him. He also hosted a writing workshop for a small group of students. Kids had him sign their books, bookmarks, binders, and even their arms. Needless to say, he was a hit.

In his presentation, Alexander talked about how he writes scary stories. The big message was this: writing about things that scare you makes them less scary. Having a character navigate a fear or anxiety gives you some distance from whatever the fear is, and allows you to explore possible outcomes in a safer, controlled space.

As a writer, you get to decide what happens. You get to have control. You have power over your fears; they don’t have power over you.

Nothing about the picture above is scary. But these mountains are tall! And I’m not afraid of heights, but I’m afraid of falling from high places. This is one of my “small” fears. When we say our fears out loud, or put them on the page, they become a lot less scary.

As a writer, you get to decide what happens. You get to have control. You have power over your fears; they don’t have power over you.

I wrote what I feared in some parts of Rapid City Summer (minor spoiler alert!). While I was writing Rapid City Summer years ago, my grandma faced a long battle with dementia. I spend part of my summer traveling, and I worried about what I would do if something happened to her while I was hundreds, or thousands of miles away, or somewhere with spotty cell service. What would be the quickest way home? How would I manage guilt? This was a big fear that I struggled with.

I took those big fears and some other little fears, and wove them into my novel.

The only two things we can control are our thoughts and actions. Take control of your fears by writing about them. Put your characters through those situations. Test out some different possible outcomes. Chances are, your characters (and you) will learn and grow a lot from the outcome, no matter what it is.

Upcoming events (in-person and digital)

If you’re in Northern Illinois, stop by the Local Author Fair at the Cook Memorial Public Library in Vernon Hills on Saturday, April 18! Meet authors from Lake County and purchase books.

If you haven’t read Rapid City Summer yet and you’re a Kindle reader, mark your calendars: Rapid City Summer will be on sale from Sunday, April 19-Saturday, April 25 for 99 cents!

On Saturday, May 30, I’ll be at About Time Bookstore in Libertyville, IL with my good friend, E.C. Quinn, author of Premonition: The Gift. We’ll be signing books and hanging out at the bookstore for the afternoon!

I have a few other digital and in-person events that I’ll share about soon. This is one of my favorite parts of being an author. I love meeting readers and other writers!

Stay tuned for event announcements, and reflections from my first year being a published author. Rapid City Summer turns one on May 1!

On a lighter note: what “irrational” fears do you have? Mine are bees, and strong winds. I don’t mind honey bees, but wasps and hornets? That’s another story. Whenever it’s really windy out, I think everything will collapse, break, or fall down. Silly, I know, but still an irrational thought that goes through my mind.

Tight lines,

Connie