Don't let fear keep you from completing your book

I received an interesting email in response to one of my recent newsletters, in which I share news about my books and speaking engagements, as well as writing and marketing tips for authors. A subscriber named Sara asked if I could address what she called “the fear of completing the project.”

Talk about hitting the nail on the head, as I suffer from this condition myself. I recently finished my sixth novel, and while many of my fans would be surprised to learn this, I experienced low-grade yet near constant anxiety throughout the entire writing process. Why? Because I was afraid of what the reaction to the finished work would be. What if people hated it? What would I do then?

Many authors share their work with trusted readers as they go, then tweak and adjust according to the feedback they get. I don’t use this approach. I write in a vacuum for months, not sharing a page with anyone. When I’m done I turn the final product over to my mom – then hold my breath for her reaction. Yes, it’s a bit terrifying, but it’s the way I write best, so I force myself to trust my ability and power through the fear each day. And if I do that for enough days in a row, eventually I have a book. And then I can relax and let the fun begin, because it’s much easier to revise a manuscript than to create one from scratch.

So Sara, if you’re reading this, I guess that’s my answer. While I recognize that it’s easy to procrastinate out of fear, do your best not to. Just power through it, one day at a time. Believe me, you’ll be happy you did. Eventually you’ll have written an entire book, and that’s a pretty amazing feeling, no matter what happens next.

Palo Alto native Maria Murnane is the author of the best-selling romantic comedies Perfect on Paper, It's a Waverly Life, Honey on Your Mind, and Chocolate for Two. She also provides consulting services on book publishing and marketing. Learn more at www.mariamurnane.com.

This blog post originally appeared on CreateSpace.com. Reprinted with permission. © 2013 CreateSpace, a DBA of On-Demand Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.