How To Get Over Writer’s Stage Fright

Do you ever have stage fright when you sit down to write?

Shelley talked about this in her post yesterday, and I bet there isn’t a reader out there who hasn’t experienced that same agonizing blink of the cursor, the glaring white document, and the sound of the clock ticking closer to that deadline.

But I think writer’s stage fright is a little different than writer’s block. Writer’s block is more of a logjam in the brain where you have collected all the information you need to start writing, but somehow you just can’t seem to make it out of the gate. Writer’s stage fright, on the other hand, happens when you have a lot to say, but you’re uncertain about whether you should say it. Or how it’ll sound to other people. Or whether what you’ve written is good enough. The times when I’ve experienced this have usually happened after I’ve compared what I’ve written to someone else’s work. But I’ve found that those attacks of insecurity are not based on fact. And I think many of us writers and editors are much harder on ourselves than anyone else.

I know that when I first started blogging for b5media.com, I had a lot of writer’s stage fright. Granted, I had a lot to say to readers. But the idea that I was going to write a post, simply press the “publish” button, and make my post magically appear to millions of readers in cyberspace absolutely terrified me. And it was even more terrifying to think that no one else—no other editor or writer—would be reading behind me to doublecheck my work.

Second-guessing myself also contributed to that writer’s stage fright. I knew I had a lot to say, but I wasn’t sure anyone else would think so. I agonized over those first few posts. Edited them, and edited them again. And then held my breath when I hit the “publish” button. Afterwards—after my words were sitting out there for everyone to see—I felt exposed. Like I’d gone out into public half-dressed, even though I wasn’t saying anything that was too revealing or controversial. It was just the idea that my thoughts were suddenly going to be come so . . . public. Granted, I’ve written hundreds of articles and had my byline in many, many publications. But there’s an entirely different feeling when you attach your name to a piece of writing that’s coming straight out of your head and onto the page—without any additional content coming from other sources or so-called experts.

So imagine my pleasant surprise when I posted my “Hello World!” introduction and several readers made a point of dropping by to welcome me warmly on my first day as a b5media.com blogger! As I continued to write day after day, readers commented on my posts, thanking me for my advice and thoughts. And truth be told, it was you, dear readers, who finally helped me overcome my online stage fright. That and just writing blog post after blog post. The act of writing, and writing more frequently helped me move beyond any initial online writing jitters.

Now, I find that I’m having a similar experience as I move forward with my commitment to write at least 300 words a day for my book project. Only there’s no one else reading my words day after day, but me. And I don’t get feedback from readers or pats on the back like I do here to help me along and bolster my confidence. Similar to Shelley right now, I’m experiencing the same initial stage fright only in another iteration and format. But this time, I have a little less of it because I know I’ll get over it and that it eventually will pass.

So I’ve concluded a few things from all of these experiences that might be helpful to you:

1) Everyone has something to say. I think almost every writer has heard this nugget of advice at least once, but here it is again: write what you know. It’s impossible to write about things you don’t anything about—at least with any kind of authority. So your best writing subjects, ideas, and fodder are probably going to come from your own experiences. So mine your area of expertise (yourself and your experiences), and write away!

2) Practice gives you confidence. The more you write, the easier it gets. That’s why I’ve talked recently about the need to establish some kind of daily writing routine. Once writing becomes a habit and you do it every day, some of that stage fright goes away. I’ve heard about a lot of actors and actresses who initially were afraid to get on stage, but they pushed through their fear and continued to do it anyway. Until the fear was gone. The same lesson applies to writers. Sometimes you just have to act “as if” you feel comfortable and write through your discomfort. Until the discomfort is gone and it all seems like second nature. And eventually, you’ll probably wonder why you were so uncomfortable in the first place.

3) Take the focus off of yourself. Have you ever noticed that you’re more self-conscious the more focused you are on yourself, and what you’re doing and saying? By contrast, have you ever had an experience where you were feeling so passionate about a topic that you completely forgot about your shyness or any feelings of social inadequacy because you felt so strongly about the subject and felt that people needed to know about it? When I get too hung up on my writing or get too concerned about how I’m coming across to someone else, I try to shift my focus back to the subject at hand. And if I can get into the mindset that someone needs to know about what I have to say, I then start focusing on the readers or on the person who needs to know the information I have to pass along. And then, after losing myself in the subject matter, I forget myself in the process and am able to get out of my own way.

So have you ever experience writer’s stage fright? How have you gotten past it? Drop me a line and tell me about it!

Photo credit: papalars (Flickr)