Dare to Show Up: Writing Bravely

Hi Reader,

You know that heart-pounding, slightly nauseating feeling when you sit down to write, stare at the blinking cursor, and suddenly remember you need to reorganize your spice rack? Yeah, that’s fear knocking at your creative door. It’s whispering, “What if this sucks? What if no one cares? What if I’m just not good enough?”

You’re not alone. Everyone feels that way. And more importantly, fear isn’t the problem. The real danger is letting that fear stop you from showing up.

The Courage to Enter the Arena

Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly talks about the power of vulnerability and why stepping into the creative arena is what separates the dreamers from the doers. She borrows from President Theodore Roosevelt’s famous speech (which you’ll find at the end of this newsletter—because it’s that good) to remind us that the credit doesn’t go to the critic, the naysayer, or the anonymous internet troll. The glory belongs to the one who actually shows up—the writer who dares to put words on the page, send their work into the world, and risk falling flat on their face.

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. - Wayne Gretzky

And yes, falling on your face is always a possibility. But so is soaring. So is connecting. So is creating something that moves people.

The Myth of Being Ready

A lot of writers tell themselves they’ll start their novel, submit their screenplay, or publish that blog when they’re ready.

Spoiler alert: Ready is a myth.

You will never feel 100% ready. Your brain will always find an excuse to wait for the perfect moment—one where you suddenly wake up confident, brilliant, and immune to self-doubt. That moment isn’t coming. But do you know what will get you closer to feeling ready? Doing the work anyway.

Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work. - Stephen King

Showing up despite the nerves, the doubts, and the perfectionism gremlins is the only way forward.

Rejection is a Badge of Honor

If you’ve ever gotten a rejection, congratulations!

Every successful writer has been rejected. Madeleine L’Engle’s Wrinkle in Time was rejected 30 times. J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone? 12 rejections. Kate DiCamillo got 473 rejection letters before landing her first publishing deal with Because of Winn-Dixie. If they had let those nos define them, we wouldn’t have some of the most beloved books of our time.

Rejection isn’t a stop sign—it’s a mile marker. It means you’re on the road. Treat those rejection emails like a badge of honor. You’re in the arena, and that’s what counts.

I pinned my rejection letters on my kitchen wall, seeing them as badges of honor, proof I was trying to achieve my dream. - J. K. Rowling

The Critics Don’t Matter—You Do

There will always be critics. Some of them are external—the “Why don’t you get a real job?” folks. The internet trolls who thrive on anonymous personal attacks. Or the bad Amazon reviews. Others are internal—the little voice in your head that says, “Who do you think you are?”

Those voices are not your audience. There will always be people who don’t like your story, your perspective, or your writing. The key is to find your audience, the people who need your story, who find comfort, joy, or inspiration in your words. Your job is to write for them, not for the peanut gallery of doubters.

How to Keep Showing Up

1. Make Writing a Habit. Don’t wait for inspiration—schedule it. Show up for your writing the way you’d show up for a friend (or, you know, a dentist appointment you can’t cancel).

2. Give Yourself Permission to Suck. No one writes a masterpiece on the first try. Get comfortable writing badly, because that’s the only way you’ll ever write something great.

3. Find Your People. Writing can feel lonely, but you don’t have to do it alone. Join a critique group, take a class, or find an accountability buddy who’ll cheer you on.

4. Celebrate the Small Wins. Finished a chapter? Sent a query? Hit a daily word count? That’s progress! Acknowledge it.

5. Keep Going. Even when it’s hard. Even when you doubt yourself. Even when it feels like no one is listening. Because one day, someone will be listening, and they’ll be so grateful you didn’t quit.

The Man in the Arena

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Theodore Roosevelt, 1910

You are the one in the arena. You are the one daring greatly. Keep showing up. Keep writing. The world needs your voice.