Everybody’s afraid of something, but not everyone deals with it the same way.

I’m starting a new manuscript today. A story I love. Characters that intrigue me. I’ve already got a contract for it and plenty of time to write it. Smooth sailing, right? Wrong. There’s one little problem.

I’m scared to death.

You heard me. The published author who’s got 12 books already under her belt is shaking in her boots to start another story. You’d think this gets easier, but it doesn’t. It’s harder. The fears all bundle together into a great big knot right in my chest, making it hard to breathe let alone write. How will I find fresh ways of saying things? What if this is my worst idea ever? When will people realize I’m not a real author but just a wannabe?

Sometimes the things we fear most are the most irrational fears on the face of the planet. We can know that in our heads, but in our hearts we still quail. How can any of us move past that which terrifies us?

Stop thinking about it.

Oh, I know. It’s not as easy as ready, set, quit it. But I have found that if I put my mind on other things by delving headlong into a new project, despite my fears, that those doubts get shoved to the side and eventually wither.

Whatever fear it is you’re facing today, try turning your face to look at something else.