On Worry
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Highlights
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So: we admit a fear (and that feels good, and honest) and then resolve to face that fear. Facing that fear is exactly equal to craft. And this then clears the way for some specific, technical work. Our worry is no longer psychological or abstract – we have to figure out how not to run out of water (or fix the ending, or speed things up on page 9, or whatever).
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In writing, the most powerful antidote we have for worry is: revision.
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Frost thought about it a second, then said, “Young man: don’t worry; WORK!” I love this. It encapsulates everything I’ve learned about writing. Because the revising part of me is smarter than the everyday-thinking part, I can feel, “All I have to do is show up every day and do what feels right. and, even if I am, in fact, messing the story up in that moment, that, too, is part of the long, heroic journey called ‘writing this story.’ Even if I am writing by exactly the wrong method, the process will eventually tell me this. All I have to do is: bring my energy to the process, every day.”