Writing Past Fear
A small, playful exercise for writers who feel stuck.
Fear is expensive for a writer.
When the Discourse feels hazardous and the stakes feel high, it makes sense that you find yourself stuck.
But you cannot write from a mindset of self-surveillance.
Whatever your wildest dream is—your book, your essay, your weird little masterpiece—is waiting for you on the other side of your fear.
Fear won’t be solved by building more walls.
Not by collecting more bonafides.
Not by testing the waters.
Not by making sure the “right” people agree with you in the “right” ways.
You’ve tried that. You’ve scrolled long enough to understand every side of the argument. You can see every possible way that you might be misunderstood.
But are you writing?
And if not…
What if you try something different? What if you play?
Play gets you writing again.
It starts with taking things less seriously. With a willingness to be a little embarrassed.
With a return to aliveness—voice, character, curiosity, risk.
This small exercise will help you begin.
How It Works
In Writing Past Fear, you’ll follow a short, 3-step exercise that helps you step out of self-surveillance and back into voice.
To make the most of this resource, here’s what I recommend:
Download it now, so you don’t forget it exists
Block off a time on your calendar to try it out
Once you’ve completed the exercise, move immediately into your writing
Try out the additional prompts if you need a little more inspiration
This exercise is for you if...
You feel stalled out on a creative project.
You’ve doubted the morality of a thought or idea you’ve had.
You’ve wanted to contribute to a just or compassionate cause but feared that, because of birth/temperament/current circumstances, you may actually be part of the problem.
You worry about being misunderstood, construed as advocating for the wrong cause.
If any of that hit, this is for you.
Claire
Writer of Irreplicable
Raf is so helpful and smart. She has pushed me to develop my voice. She gave me the confidence to write creatively in directions that I wouldn’t have been brave enough to pursue without her encouragement!
kate davis jones
Ghostwriter at Truancy Writing
Raf gave me excellent editorial review, but her insight goes beyond craft. She understands how art and life intersect and influence each other, and offered me laser-focused exercises to help me unstick myself in both. Thank you for kindly and honestly pushing me to nurture my own voice!