Is Fear Keeping Your Story Invisible?

How I almost lost my courage.

I almost let fear talk me out of writing my debut novel.

It was inspired by the real-life house of Ray Bradbury, a literary icon. I loved the story, but I was terrified of what his devoted fans might think. Still, I wrote, even as fear sat in the passenger seat all the way to The End.

I held my breath as his family read the manuscript.

I held it again when the book hit shelves.

Who was I to tell this story?

And then, the letters came. Notes from his friends and fans, full of kindness, full of heart.

Today, nearly a decade later, a piece of Bradbury’s yellow house hangs on my office wall. A gift from one of his longtime friends, sent as a thank you “for keeping the little yellow house alive.”

I can’t tell you how much that letter and gift meant to me. The lesson? Let fear ride along, but never let it drive.

One of Ray Bradbury’s friends saved a piece of the little yellow house after the demolition (as did many fans). This piece was mailed to me as a gift and now hangs on my office wall.

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Here’s why I’m sharing this:

Fear will quietly hold us hostage if we let it. It shows up as procrastination. Perfectionism. Self-doubt. Excuses like “I’m not ready yet” or “who am I to write this?”

If you’ve been sitting on your story and revising the same pages, putting off your next chapter, or talking yourself out of querying, ask yourself:

Is fear keeping your story invisible?

I know what it’s like to let fear hold the wheel, but I also know what’s waiting on the other side: growth, connection, and the deeply personal joy of seeing your work out in the world.

So write. Even if your hands shake. Even if your voice wavers. Even if fear is buckled in right next to you. (Elizabeth Gilbert writes about this in Big Magic.)

I’m cheering for you all the way to The End.

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Want to hear more on how we keep ourselves invisible and how to remedy this? Tune into this week’s podcast episode.👇🏻

Every week, The Whole Writer podcast creates space for writers to nurture both their craft and themselves, exploring what it means to write from a place of wholeness rather than depletion. You can find episodes:
📍 Here on my Substack
📍 Apple Podcasts
📍 Spotify

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Seeking help for your novel manuscript? Here are ways I can support you:

📚1:1 Coaching: This is perfect for writers hoping to shape their story before moving on to edits and revisions.

📚Developmental Edits: This is perfect for writers seeking to strengthen either a partial or full manuscript.

📚Author Platforms & Agent Queries: This is for writers ready to start thinking about getting their stories out into the world.