Day 3 – 2018 AWAC

The 2018 August Write Away Challenge

If you’re just joining us, please feel free to go back and read the previous content so you’re up to speed!

• 2018 August Write Away Challenge original post
• Day 1 – What book did you read over and over again as a child?
• Day 2 – Some of the things that make me happy are…

Reminders before we get started:

• The prompt is to use or ignore as you wish;
• Absolutely any form of the written word is allowed;
• All participation will be on the honor system, though sharing is strongly encouraged;
• Participants will be asked to let me know each week that they’ve written daily;
• Those who do write daily for the week will have their name entered into a drawing at the end of the month for a $25 Amazon Gift Card;
• Any blogger who participates and writes every day for the month will receive a badge for your blog.
• Please send me an email or contact me to let me know you’re participating!

Fri, Aug. 03 – Name three things you’d do if you weren’t so afraid.

Fear stinks.

We allow it to keep us from doing things we would otherwise do. I wonder why we grant fear such power? I wonder why I grant fear such power?

My cousin Amy visited me this past week for a few days, and somehow we got on the topic of kayaking. I have always loved the idea of kayaking! But this girl can just barely stay afloat in water (ironic, since I live so close to the most beautiful body of water on earth, is it not?), and so I shy away from a lot of water activities. I did go canoeing once when I was a Girl Scout, but that was a lifetime ago. I wish I could kayak, and maybe someday I will conquer that fear, but so far — fear has kept me grounded.

Another fear of mine is flying, and so I suppose fear has kept me grounded in that regard, also. To be fair, it isn’t the actual flying that I fear. I have traveled by plane once in my life — with my brother — and the flight did not traumatize me in the least. No, the fear for me is more about the airport, knowing where to go and all of that. It feeds my anxiety like fuel on a fire. It’s not a huge problem. Most of the traveling I do (which isn’t much) is by car, and I enjoy that immensely. I love being able to take in the landscape, stop when I want, change plans as I want. But my fear of flying has kept me from doing things that were important to me. And that, my friends, is very sad for me to think about.

Another very sad reality for me is that I’m afraid to share my writing. Honestly, I think this is true of many (maybe even most) writers. Like any creative art, writers put so much of themselves into their work. And don’t bother saying, “it isn’t personal,” because for someone who has put hundreds — maybe thousands — of hours into crafting and recrafting and re-recrafting and re-re-recrafting a story and characters and weaving threads to hopefully convey some truth about the world, it is incredibly personal. Rejection is always difficult, but a rejection of something you’ve worked upon so intimately? That can be crippling.

But most fears — I think — can be overcome. Somewhere in my mind, I know that with the right teacher, kayaking wouldn’t be such a big deal. I would love it, I think, if I could just step over that gap. I love Lake Superior with a ridiculous kind of love — why would I not also, then love an activity (kayaking) which would allow me to take in more of Her beauty? And though it would cause some anxiety for me, I also know that if I needed to get on an airplane and fly somewhere, I could do it. I have just allowed myself not to do it for so long. And as for the fear of sharing my writing? Well…

…that’s what this site is for — to help me conquer that fear.

Happy AWAC writing!

From the shores of Wicket Lake,