Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

We are afraid of some things. Often, however, the heart of the fear is not the stated fear. Finding the source of fear can help us cope with it.

Am I afraid of heights?

No, but I am afraid of falling off a tall building.

Many of us have fears. There is a long list of fears or -phobias. Look at this online list. Surely, you can find something on here that fits. But like acrophobia (fear of heights), the phobia is described incorrectly.

Once the fear is described correctly, it makes much better sense. See my example above. Falling off a tall building is fatal.

Consider

Ballistophobia – fear of bullets or missiles.

I am not afraid of bullets. I am afraid of being struck by a speeding bullet. Again, usually a fatal result.

Now let’s move to art and writing and fear. We have

Scriptophobia – the fear of writing in public.

Many writers are paralyzed by fear. Are they afraid of writing? I doubt it. What is the real fear? That probably varies with the individual. Here are a few reactions to your writing. Writers can be afraid of these reactions:

• Someone will laugh at you
• Someone will call you “stupid”
• Someone will make red marks all over your writing
• No one will read what you have written

Then these reactions would bring different fears depending on who “someone” is. Is someone a stranger? A family member? A close friend?

Conclusion:

I don’t have a good conclusion. The topic of fear is a deep and complex one. Many people are afraid of the topic of fear. Hence, they won’t discuss it and surely won’t read this blog post.