Halloween – Jean's Writing

How to overcome your fear

Published on October 30, 2018October 29, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell5 Comments

Well, it’s Halloween again and scary things are heading your way.

But do you really need to open the door to find scary things that instill fear?

No, not me. All I have to do is walk over to my desk.

Because, if you’re a writer, you live with fear. At least I do. Fear of failure, and fear of success. Yep, that’s right. Sitting down at the keyboard is a whole other kind of fear.

Is it really fear of writing or is it fear of failure?

Do you suffer from Graphophobia, Scriptophobia, Achievemephobia, Atychiphobia or some other phobia?

Oh yeah, there is a phobia for everything.

Scriptophobia, fear of writing (in public, class, etc.). I believe a writer can feel this fear because we are expecting someone, someday to read what we’ve written. ie… public.

Graphophobia, fear of handwriting. Okay, this one is a stretch for writers. But, hey you never know, so I threw it in for good measure.

Achievemephobia, fear of success. Hmm, yeah sometimes this does bother me. How would my life change if I wrote a bestselling book? I’m not a big people person, preferring the quiet of my home to a convention floor.

But first I, and maybe you must get over the biggest fear.

Achievemephobia, the fear of failure. If there is a writer anywhere in the world that hasn’t felt a fear of failure at one point in their life, I’d love to meet them.

So, according to Mark Twain, it’s okay to be afraid but not okay to let fear stop us.

Doesn’t matter what you call it, we can overcome any fear including finishing that manuscript.

How? One word at a time.

What is your biggest fear?

What fear keeps you from writing?

What fear stops you from succeeding?

Want to read more about phobias, and how to overcome the fear of writing? Click links at the end of this post.

PLEASE TAKE ANOTHER MINUTE AND LOOK ME UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY CLICKING ON THE LINKS BELOW.

AND STOP BY JEAN’S WRITING ANYTIME, I’LL LEAVE A LIGHT ON.

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3 Tricks to Overcome Your Fear of Writing by Jeff Elkins

10 Ways to Harness Fear and Fuel Your Writing By: Sage Cohen

Writers Anxiety

Overcoming Fear of Failure – Facing Your Fear of Moving Forward

Fear of Writing Phobia – Graphophobia or Scriptophobia

Why is Halloween and Horror Fiction so popular?

Published on October 31, 2016October 23, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell6 Comments

Maybe it’s the rush we feel when frightened.

Maybe it’s a sense of relief when we realize we are safe. crime-268896_640

Maybe it’s a peek into the darkest corners of the human mind.

Whatever the reason, should you consider writing this genre?

Me, I love to read a good horror book. But hate watching it come to life on the big screen. There’s just something about seeing the story played out in gory colors that is a step too much for me.

My grandson just recently saw his first horror flick. My fault. I loved the book Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and recommended it to my daughter. So off they go to the movie theater. Oops, I’d no idea the movie was more of a horror flick than the book.

Whether it’s Steven King, Ransom Riggs, R.L. Stine, or vampire horror by Anne Rice reading books that scare us are popular for a reason.

Fear, laughter, relief, joy. Horror fiction stirs our emotions.

A recent blog post by Kristen Lamb, How Horror Fiction Can Make Us Better Writers made me think that maybe I could use this genre to help my general fiction.

13 Quotes On Writing From Horror Authors, Because Scaring Readers Is No Easy Feat

Writing over the top emotions that stir the soul and strike fear in the reader may be just what I need to become a better writer.

What do you think, would dabbling in Horror Fiction help your writing?

Got a Halloween story lurking in the back of your mind?

Do you have a favorite author that writes horror fiction?

Do share in the comments! I’d love to know.

I’d love to hear from you! Click the “write me” tab or contact me on Twitter @jeancogdell,Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! The lights are on, and I’m waiting.

Please remember to share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

And The Winner IS…

Published on October 30, 2014October 30, 2014 by Jean M. Cogdell1 Comment

Thanks to all who played along and made the build-up to All Hallows Eve so much fun. There were so many good entries, it was hard to pick.

Check out their websites.

First Place:

Goes to Sheila, for:

She laughed, tossed the horoscope into the trash and picked up the bowl of Halloween candy as the doorbell rang. The bowl crashed to the floor, “I sent a message,” the Grimm Reaper said.

Runner up:

goes to Jez Farmer, for:

She rose from the basket as she arrived at her destination. Behind her the axe-man disposed of her decapitated body and wiped his sword ready for next traveler on the road to hell.

Guys, you can copy and paste your badges to your website if you want.

Thanks again everyone and

Happy Halloween.

Write your best Horror in 2 Sentences and Win

Published on October 29, 2014 by Jean M. Cogdell31 Comments

On The Porch

The attack came out of nowhere. Fear strangled my scream as claws raked over my skin.

Now your turn!

My inspiration came from a great meeting with my fellow SWAG (Sachse-Wylie Authors Group) members last week. So, in my last post I linked to the original Two Sentence Horror Story thread hoping to inspire my readers.

Ruth Glover ran with it, click and read her Halloween 2 Sentence Stories.

I’ve decided to go a step further.