"I'm worried about the daffodils!" I blurted.
Joe stared at me. "Um. What?"
"The daffodils!" I wailed.
Anxiety is a funny thing. It manifests in bizarre ways. Like a couple of years ago, when I became frantic about the daffodils.
I wasn't worried about their wellbeing, you understand; it's just that I adore daffodils. They're my favourite flowers. And I was suddenly terrified that I would miss all the blooms and I wouldn't make the most of them.
This is how anxiety manifests: it bursts out in strange ways and it takes over our brains.
I hate it.
It stifles my creativity I go around in circles.
But I'm super-lucky because instead of laughing at me, Joe gave me a hug and a cup of tea, and we made a Daffodil Plan. Every day, by 2 pm, I was to Whatsapp him a photo of the daffodils.
I was to make a daffodil report.
Immediately, I felt better – and I had made sure I'd enjoy the daffodils.
The power of a plan and someone who cares about you. It's like magic.
Writing is a source of great anxiety to a lot of people – including me, sometimes. Just because I'm a writer doesn't mean I have all my shit together.
We get stressed because we haven't started yet, or we keep getting distracted, or we can't focus, or we don't have time, or we can't finish.
I get it.
Which is why I started my Power Hour live writing sessions: we get together in a friendly group on Zoom and just write.
For an hour, no interruptions, just the knowledge that we've told everyone in the group what we want to achieve, then we'll have to report back.
It's incredibly powerful. And it massively reduces anxiety about the stuff we have to write.
Come and give it a try. You don't have to be writing a book.
Yesterday, Carol's aim was to write three of her daily marketing emails. She actually wrote FIVE. How cool is that? The entire week's email marketing done and dusted before 8 am on Monday.
p.s. Here's that link again: The Moxie Writers Power Hour.
p.p.s. I love my friends. Because I posted about my daffodil anxiety on social media, and lovely Jo and Todd sent me a daffodil bird feeder so I'd always have a daffodil to look at. I still love it.
Start Writing Your Book Today
If you want to learn more about how to write, self-publish, and market a book for your business, snaffle yourself a copy of How The Hell Do You Write A Book? Then check out the blog and podcast for more articles and guides. If you want a little (or a lot) more help, find out how you can work with me.
About Vicky...
Vicky Fraser is the founder of Moxie Books and author of How The Hell Do You Write A Book and Business For Superheroes. She helps business owners write life-changing books, connect with readers and new customers, and grow their businesses. When she's not doing that, she's hanging from a trapeze by her feet.
