How to Write a Book In-Spite of Fear
“If I were to allow my fear and doubt to keep me from moving forward into what I knew that God was calling me to do, then not only would I be doing a disservice to the people who need me to show up, but I would also be dishonoring my God.” – Anita Morris
Mark Twain defines courage as the resistance to fear — it is a mastery, not an absence.
Writing a book in the presence of fear is, likely, more important than writing a book without it, as Anita Morris now knows.
In this week’s episode of “Authors Who Lead,” we talk about why it is so difficult to write when you’re afraid — and how to move past that to share her message of hope, perseverance and power for those who want to overcome past hurts, trauma and grief.
Fearlessness Is Not Courage
Anita never believed she was capable of writing a book. But she equally believed that allowing her fear and doubt to intervene would not only be a disservice to the people who needed her to show up, but she would also be dishonoring God.
So she made a choice. She stepped into the process with all her fears and doubts — and from that courage, “STEP Into It, Overcoming Trials that Lead to Purpose” was born.
“I know that whenever God is calling me to do something, it is him who will do it through me,” she said. “And all of the fears that I have about stepping into the obedience that he calls me to can be alleviated just by walking in obedience, just by doing the thing.”
Writing is all about having courage — and you can’t have the courage to write unless you have fear. That said, when fear shows up as you’re starting to write a book, you just have to realize they’re a package deal, and you are capable of channeling that courage.
Doing What Matters Most for You Right Now
In talking with Anita, I realized that, sometimes, you can make your whole life about one path.
But the truth is, your journey is more about the path that you’re on now. It may not be the one you thought, or hoped, you’d be on. But your whole life matters only to this very moment.
If you’re holding off your writing, thinking you should wait longer until you’re a different person, your inclination isn’t necessarily wrong. That waiting game will certainly change who you are, but it won’t validate who you are now.
Therefore, if you’re ever going to write a book, now is the time to do it.
And don’t worry about what people will say of it. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what anybody thinks. If it’s your calling, it can’t go any other way but God’s way — and His ways are always right.
Remember:
- The book that transforms you is the one that you need to write. You can’t expect to transform a reader if it doesn’t transform yourself first.
- Writing a book when you’re uncertain if you can actually do it is the confidence you actually need to stay in when you’re trying to write.
- Saying, “I’m an author,” before you even write a book is more important than you think.
What was your biggest takeaway from the episode? In the comments, tell me about something you’ve always wanted to do, but aren’t because of fear.
That’s all for this week. If you have a message inside of you that needs to be written, today is the day to start. Don’t delay — your next big step is just a few words away.
Episode Resources:
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“The Courage to Write” by Ralph Keyes
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