Ten Shun!
More tips for paying subscribers, including advice on guilt, subplots, and the assimilation of opposites.
61a There are two primary emotional barriers to starting to write a novel - fear and guilt. Fear of what lurks in your subconscious, fear of failure, fear of ridicule, fear that you're not 'good enough'. People who try to write a novel are brave.
61b One woman said to me ' I have a great idea but I'm scared to start'. I understand, I said. Once you start, either you are going to give up one day and face the fact you are never going to write a novel. Or you're going to have to finish the damn thing.
61c As for guilt, the problem is sitting in a room staring out a window when there is a lawn to be mowed or floor to be mopped. You feel like a fraud. But you're not. As I say, you are brave.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Tim Lott's Writing Boot Camp to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.