Are You Writing's Prey? What Sid The Sloth Tells Us About Overcoming Fear

From the second movie in the Ice Age franchise comes this phenomenal scene where Sid and Diego talk about Diego's fear of water. I mean, non-fear of water. I'm going to pick apart the conversation, so this is basically several quotes in one. You can thank me later.

I advise you watch the clip before reading the post so you have an understanding of the whole scene. Or, if you're an Ice Age fan like me, you already know the scene pretty well. And by pretty well, I really mean, very well.

1. "All animals feel fear." 

Or, all humans feel fear. (Because I'm assuming everyone reading this is a human.) If everyone feels fear, then we can rest assured we're not the only ones. Similar to how everyone needs water, we all get scared. I don't know about you, but knowing that makes me feel better. You're not the only one afraid. But because so many of us are scared, we can grow. It's part of our human nature. We're always striving to make our lives better, or other people's lives better. So what does this mean?

You can overcome your fear. It might take years. Or maybe just hours. But knowing that you can is the first step in getting over it. And you won't be the only one overcoming fear. Whatever your writing fear is, you can overcome it. You own your fear.

2. "It's what separates us from say, rocks. Rocks have no fear, and they sink." 

Usually, we're scared for a good reason. Take snakes for example. A lot of them can kill you and most people probably haven't taken the time to learn the dangerous ones to the not-as-dangerous ones. I dare say that we've all been scared of snakes for at least a moment, if not longer. Because of this fear, we are careful when we see a snake lazing about. If we weren't scared, we wouldn't be so careful and the rate humans get snake injuries would increase. Possibly by margins. 

This is not to say we should let fear control us. Absolutely not. But recognising what you're scared of helps you to deal with it. You know snakes are dangerous, so you avoid them. If you're scared of writing a trash book, you'll make sure it's good. If you're scared of what other people think, you'll make sure to add elements into your book that will increase reader enjoyment. Simply said, it's okay to feel fear. Without it, we fail.

3. "The point is, fear is natural." 

Fear is part of human nature. And, as Sid proves, part of animal nature. If it's part of our nature, should we be scared of it? I think not. Cautious, maybe. But not scared. When you identify your fear, do it calmly. Like: I seem to have identified a fear of What-Other-People-Think-Itis. It's okay to have this as long as I deal with it. 

Then move on to Point Four.

4. "Fear is for prey." // "Well then you're letting the water make you its prey." 

This is probably the most oft quoted sentence from the whole series. Firstly, what is prey? Chicken, bacon and beef. Prey are the ones that have to run away. Prey don't fight to get what they want. If you want to write that perfect book, fight for it. Do everything you can to make it great. While no book is perfect, trying to make it reach that level does have a positive impact because you're trying to make it better. 

Secondly, while it's all fun and games saying, "Mate, one of my writing fears is x!" but you don't do anything to overcome it, you're still going to be held back by your fear. I'm going to give you a harsh truth. Fear is for people who don't fight. If you don't fight your writing fear, you're letting writing make you its prey. Don't be writing's prey. You're don't deserve being scared. Be a fear conqueror. 

5. "Just jump in and trust your instincts!"

While overcoming your fear is definitely the go to, sometimes you just have to do it. Forget what you're scared of and put your pencil to paper. (Because pencils are the best, obviously.) Deep down, you probably know a lot more than you think, so trust your inner voice. I don't think I have to explain this any more, so I leave you with this GIF.

~ 

Because I'm so kind, I've summarised the step-by-step guide. ;)

1. Believe you can overcome your fear.
2. Acknowledge that your fear is telling you something.
3. It's okay to be scared as long as you deal with it.
4. Overcome your fear. 
5. Just do it.

Everyone feels fear. It's part of human nature. Thing is, it's okay to be scared, but don't let it control you. Know that you can overcome your fear and use it to make yourself stronger. Fight authorly villains to make your story great. Find the balance between fear and pushiness. Because you don't deserve holding yourself back because you're scared. Sometimes, you just have to do it.

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