Ten writers for children. All with something to say.

11/9/09

GRRRR

Fear is a four-letter word. Fear is a blockade, a do not enter, a caution sign; blinking red lights. It deters, procrastinates, and bullies.
I am late with this blog because I let myself be bullied by fear. It sneaks up on me, and punches me in the belly. I catch my breath, and in the absolute frustration of not knowing, I take my hardest step: putting my work out there, taking the jabs of rejection consistently, and bouncing back to receive another hit.
Sometimes I think I must be good company for fear. Fear can find a willing ally in me, one that only too easily admits the lack in my work, the lack of timing, the lack of talent, the lack of marketing skills. I think of all these things. Fear has given me a black eye and I am just about tired of being bullied.
It is about time.

4 comments:

Edie Hemingway said...

Yay, Betsy, for fighting back against fear! You have the talent, without a doubt. Keep fighting...

Stephanie said...

You go girl. ( And I'm so glad you posted today because I ended up being too swamped.)

john said...

Betsy, I love the images you chose to talk about fear. They are so vivid it feels like a picture book. Perhaps picturing them makes them easier to confront as well. Thanks for posting this.

Christy said...

Yes, vivid indeed! Kind of like a journey in the Phantom Toll Booth, I can imagine your character maneuvering around yellow caution signs and blinking lights to dodge fear (personified as bullies). John is right, you've got a picture book started.