Fearless Writing with Bill Kenower

I know things are scary and crazy for a lot of us right now, but that shouldn’t mean you abandon doing the what you love. The world is always a better place when we do what means the most to us. 

Yes, there are times you don’t know the way forward, and yes, you will almost certainly experience rejection. But don’t tell yourself writing IS hard. When it’s going well, when you find that story, it’s naturally effortless.

If you set your intentions before you begin anything new, whether a story or a year, you can start to develop new habits. 

As we grow up, it’s easy to start believing that work and fun can’t be one and the same. This may be true in some professions, but it shouldn’t be so in the arts. No fun for the writer; no fun for the reader.

Often, the biggest obstacle to finding our voice is the pressure we put on ourselves to be “good” or be acceptable. If you take the pressure off, your voice will come naturally. 

All my stories end the same way: Life is friendly, and the natural relationship between people is love. The reason there are so many to tell is there are so many times this doesn’t seem to be the case. 

Amuse, entertain, and inspire yourself, and mean what you say. If you can do that, the rest will take care of itself.  

It’s easy to start thinking that the lives of all the people you care for are somehow more important than yours. Writing reminds us again and again that this has never been true. 

Sometimes the most difficult part of writing stems from the fact that we’re adults, and have become increasingly concerned with our own survival, rather than what pleases us most.

Where Fearless Writing began. It took reach a very dark place for me to understand how quietly addicted to praise and validation I was. Here’s the story.

Writing is often about waiting for the right story, the right scene, the right word. Learn to trust what you know is true about what works and what doesn’t.  

A writer’s primary tool is thought. Every time we sit down to write, we practice choosing the ones that serve us, and the ones that don’t.

You can’t look for your validation from anyone other yourself, which you do every time you write a sentence that satisfies you.

Creativity is very active, but all the stories and songs and poems that have ever been written began with listening, when artist heard the inspiration offered to them.

We all need one sometimes. It’s easy to lose track of why we do this, where our confidence comes from – so here you go. Enjoy!

Nothing feels better than getting in the flow. Yet this fantastic experience requires nothing but the focus of own attention. A great reminder when we’re feeling down.

Writing is about the search for the effortless path. Our job is to test for resistance with every scene, sentence, and word. When we meet it, we have to find a different way forward.

Sometimes we have a low-running fear of writing. We’ve created unfriendly story about what’s waiting for us at the desk. We have to change that story and make it as friendly as possible 

Fear is always a movement away from, love is a movement toward. Both are creative, but only one creates on purpose.

You would think we wouldn’t need to ask this, but it’s easy sometimes to accept experiences AND stories we don’t really like. Pay close attention to your preferences. They’re your best guide.

Writers sometimes romanticize how hard writing can be. It’s important to remember that effortlessness is the essence of our best work.

Your confidence doesn’t come from success. It’s something you’re born with that you have to find every time you write. Jane Friedman interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/UHldR_smYVs?si=Fb0klOIBQOpA7iHS

Your stories may or may not live on forever, but what you tap into to write them is eternal.

Writing teaches us that our focus is everything. Nothing can control our focus but ourselves. The conditions of our life will change, but our focus will always be in our control.

There’s no such thing as good and bad in a story – just what belongs or what doesn’t. The same is true for you. There’s nothing wrong with you that success will fix. There’s just the right path or the wrong path