Is fear impeding your writing? As this dog-inspired writing lesson is about to show you, it sure doesn’t have to.
My friend Deborah and I had just pulled up to one of the lakes on the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway outside of Bend. At the time, I had three pups with a fourth, who belonged to a close friend and was definitely part of the pack, in tow. Deborah had her rescue chihuahua-terrier, Noodles, whose unparalleled story of survival was matched only by his unparalleled personality. This is a pup who would tear apart a toy when left alone, then put all the pieces back where they belonged, so the toy looked intact again. And, of course, he’s a mix of two breeds known for their independence and their fearlessness.
Noodles, however, hadn’t gotten the no-fear memo, at least not where water was involved.
“He won’t get within ten feet of a body of water, no matter how thirsty he is,” Deborah said.
The same could not be said for my gang. The car doors had barely opened, and all four were in the lake. Since we had three ball-obsessed Aussie or Border Collie mixes in the group, I got out the latex balls and started throwing them in the water. Game on!
Noodles moved a little closer. Not close enough to get wet, but closer.
I noticed. So, I started throwing the ball for him, inching him toward the lake each time. When a couple of the throws prompted him to get his nose wet and then wade in up to his ankles, I figured he was ready. Sure enough, he joined in, swimming as if he were preparing for the Doggie Olympics. Within less than 20 minutes, he was competing for the ball with the best of them, regardless of how far offshore I’d thrown it. Fear? What fear?
I realize that fear is a survival mechanism we need to pay attention to. I was privileged to read a draft of Gavin de Becker’s brilliant book, The Gift of Fear, before it was published. If you haven’t read it, I would urge you to do so.
However, all too often, we allow our fear of things that aren’t dangerous to dictate our actions and limit our lives … and our writing. Indeed, fear is definitely one of the ten ways writers undermine themselves. So, the next time you feel yourself pulling away from a writing project, topic, or passage because you’re scared, I want you to picture Noodles. And then go for it anyway.
