1. Getting something wrong. A name, a fact, a small mistake that has unbearable consequences.
2. Hurting someone’s feelings. Which is why it’s never a great idea to write about people you know without their consent.
3. Never being “good enough.” Whatever that means.
4. Sharing your work with other people.
5. Putting yourself out there – networking, submitting work, opening yourself up to uncertain outcomes.
6. Rejection. You just never get over the fear that your favorite piece of writing won’t “make it.”
7. Never reaching your goals – never working “hard enough” to get what you thought you wanted.
8. The possibility of getting everything you ever wanted and realizing it’s not what you actually wanted.
9. That one day you’ll, for whatever reason, stop writing.
10. That you’ll succeed. Which seems like an odd thing to fear … but we still do. When you reach the top, will you still find reasons to write? Will you keep going? Will it still be worth it? There’s one way to find out …
Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is an editor and writer, and a 12-time NaNoWriMo winner. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about writing, food, and Star Wars.
Meg Dowell Writes 