Hey 👋 - Dave here.

Happy Saturday morning.

Here’s one actionable tip to help you reach your creative potential.

Read time: 2 minutes

Keep creating!

I look like a rabid beast when I dance.

Legs twitch.

Elbows fly.

Hips don’t lie.

What’s crazy is that I feel the music — except that feeling translates into movement that could hurt somebody.

Also, I look stupid dancing, and I hate looking stupid.

So I don’t dance in public anymore.

But get this, sometimes my writing looks really stupid — except I could never give it up.

I’d miss it too much.

Because I love to twist plots, create characters, and build worlds.

Maybe you love writing, too?

If so… Why do you get blocked doing something you love?

Common Cures for Writer’s Block

A simple online search provided these suggestions:

• Find inspiration

• Eliminate distractions

• Outline so you know what to write

• Give yourself permission to draft imperfectly

It took seconds to gather that advice.

So again… if there are countless cures available, why do you still get writer’s block?

Maybe we should figure out exactly what we’re curing before applying any medicine.

The Underlying Cause of Writer’s Block

For most people, writer’s block blossoms from one obvious thing…

fear /ˈfir/

noun : an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger "he is prey to the fear of rejection"

verb : to be afraid of 

The creative process is a major head game.

Because doubt can easily lead you to lose confidence in your ability to produce meaningful artwork…

Thus you freeze… in fear.

Then you give that fear a fancy name like “writer’s block.”

Of course, the purpose of that fear is to keep you safe and protected.

And it often manifests through questions like these:

• What if I can’t translate my ideas onto the page?

• What if my writing looks like Dave dancing?

• What if people laugh? Or don’t care at all?

• What if my new stuff doesn’t live up to old stuff?

• What if I can never write as well as famous authors?

If you don’t have faith in your own words… how will others?

How Do You Get Rid of the Fear?

Wrong approach.

Seth Godin says you should “dance with the fear?”

Even when the dancing makes you look dumb.

While writing this very issue, I stopped typing to ask:

• Does anyone really care about what I’m saying?

• Am I the only one who feels this way?

• Will this stance look silly?

I believe the fear is confirmation you’re creating something worth caring about.

But assuming you love to create like I do, there’s really no other choice.

So you must persevere.

Because your creations can be something special.

Something special you can use to build your own character to write a new chapter.

That’s worth dancing for.

Alas It Never Ends

Moving forward, don’t look for an internet free app or a better playlist.

Look inside the fear and commit to dancing with it.

Then start writing and creating something—even if it looks stupid.

Just know that I won’t call it stupid.

Nope, not me.

Because even I’m dancing again.

Anytime writer’s block strikes, put on your protective dance gear & ask yourself these questions:

1. Am I not writing because of fear?

2. Am I open to letting the fire refine me?

3. Am I willing to trust that I can fix the words later?

That’s it for this Saturday.

See ya next week!

— Dave