Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with Joe Bunting/@joebunting

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” — Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird

It is my pleasure to feature author, writing coach and founder of The Story Cartel, Joe Bunting in this guest post. Joe and I met through his Story Cartel Course which I highly recommend for any writer who wants to “increase their audience, create industry connection and build a strong foundation for a writing career.”

Welcome, Joe!

Why Fear Is the Key to Unlock Your Best Writing

When was the last time you felt fear? Not horror movie fear or roller coaster fear. I’m talking about the kind of fear you experience before your first day of college or before the birth of your first child, the fear when you first tell someone you love them or when you tell someone you made a terrible mistake.

I’m talking about the gnawing, back-of-your-mind question, “What if this all goes wrong? What if I fail?” You’re standing on a ledge, looking down at the water 40 feet below, knowing you look silly, that you should just jump, but you’re not sure if you can. It’s taking all your energy just to stay there, looking down, and not run away.

I think we spend too much time avoiding this kind of fear, especially as writers. 

The best stories come out of fear. Have you ever noticed how talkative children get after they do something they were afraid of? They can’t help but tell the story, even perfect strangers.

Every good story requires courage. Every single one. If you’re writing about your life and you’re not summoning the courage and facing fear regularly, your writing isn’t going to be very interesting.

What is the most courageous thing you could do today? My wife and I are planning a three-month trip to Europe. Our loose plan is to spend six weeks in Paris, four weeks traveling around Central and Eastern Europe, and then meet our family in Florence, where we’ll rent a villa. It sounds like an amazing trip, the kind of trip you’d be stupid to say no to if you had the chance.

The problem is, we have a five-month-old baby.

In my short tenure as a father, I’ve come to realize having children multiplies fear. My wife and I have both travelled extensively, and while the prospect of a three-month trip to Europe does make me a bit nervous, it’s nothing we can’t handle. However, the idea of traveling with a baby paralyzes me.

I can think of a thousand things that could ruin our trip. What if he cries on the plane? What if we’re robbed and don’t have money for a hotel? What if he throws up in the Louvre?

And yet, which will make a more interesting story? Staying in our comfortable house, with our comfortable routine, sitting on our comfortable couches. Or taking a trip that could change all of our lives, including the life of my son? If both of those stories were books, and you had to choose which one to read, which would you pick?

Courage begins with desire. Of course, having a hard conversation with your spouse can be just as courageous as taking a trip that scares you.

Courage begins the same place good stories do, with the question, “What do you want?” Perhaps you’re thinking of something right now, something you’ve been dreaming about doing but shrugged off because it seemed too difficult.

In the story I’m living, I want to write in the Parisian cafés where Hemingway used to write. I want to take my wife to her favorite city in the world. I want to practice my French so we can become a multi-lingual family.

What do you want? What are you dreaming about? If you achieve this dream, how will you feel?

Today, give yourself permission to chase that desire you’ve shrugged off as impossible. Make a plan, map out the obstacles, and begin.

Will you see it through no matter what? One of my favorite quotes is from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird:

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” —Atticus Finch

We sometimes confuse courage with power, but courage is more about beginning, beginning something that might fail, taking a risk on your dreams, on something you believe in. Courage is about beginning something important, and seeing it through no matter what.

Wait a second…. Doesn’t that sound like a story worth reading?

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Thanks, Joe for sharing these timely and inspirational thoughts on stepping outside our comfort zones and finding our own inner strengths. It was in your Story Cartel Course, that I found the courage to get my stories out there more and ask fellow writers to be my beta readers!

Think back to a moment you showed courage. What did you want and why? What made it scary to pursue what you wanted? Did you get what you wanted or not? How did you feel ?

We’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below~

This Week:

Saturday, 5/10/14:  “A Tribute to Nursing: Happy Nurses’ Week”

Next Week:

Monday, 5/12:  “Introducing Ever Faithful to His Lead: The Pubslush Campaign for My Memoir Launches”

 Wednesday, 5/14/14: “A Google+ Hangout Interview with Memoir Author Cindi McVey: To Live in Paradise”