The Greatest Fear of Writers

I stared at the blank screen as I pondered ideas for a new article.

I could write about time management. Or handling stress? Nah, I don’t really feel like it…

Though writer’s block can cause plenty of frustration and anxiety, that’s probably not the greatest fear that writers have. I’d probably include writer’s block in the list of minor fears that writers have, along with other common fears like “What if I don’t win _____ writing contest?” or “What if my writing gets rejected by _____ website or _____ magazine?” The greatest fear of writers is more serious than a bad case of writer’s block—our plans and our purpose are at the core of this fear.

The Greatest Fear

As a writer, I can confidently say that this is the greatest fear that writers have: What if all my writing leads to nothing?

I’m scared that it’s not God’s will for me to be a published writer—because if it’s not, the time, money, and energy that I’ve spent trying to become a published author will feel like a waste.

I’m not saying that God is dangling writing opportunities in front of me but plans to snatch away my chance of publication. I’m saying that He might have other (better) plans for me that don’t include writing. But that thought still scares me.

What if I blog for five years but then realize that God has another career path for me? What if hundreds of my articles are published by various websites but no literary agents express interest in representing my book to publishers? What if I spend countless hours writing and polishing a book proposal but never actually get a book contract?

When thoughts like these consume me, I have to remember God’s promises to me.

The Desires of My Heart

Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it. (Psalm 37:4-5 NASB)

You don’t have to tell me what you’re thinking about this passage. You’re probably thinking about how badly your heart desires a book contract. So does mine.

But you need to remember that God knows what you need better than you do. He made a map of your future before the beginning of time—and it’s a perfect map.  

When you decide to follow that perfect map and the perfect Mapmaker, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t get a book deal. Rather, it means that you’ll be exactly where God wants you to be. And He’ll never fail you, friends.

Please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying about your dreams and goals as a writer. You don’t have to stop coming up with story ideas or submitting articles to various publications or writing poetry for your blog. You don’t have to stop using the opportunities that God has given you. Like I discussed in my recent post about dreams coming true, it’s not sinful to dream—but it’s sinful to place more value on following your plans than following God’s plans.

Friends, we don’t have to worry about not getting published. Rather, we should focus on following God’s will. And no, we don’t have to stop writing; we just have to be willing to open our hands and let go of our plans. You never know where new opportunities will lead on the amazing map that God created just for you.