Comments on: Living at the Corner of FEAR and FINE

By: Lisa Norman

Lisa Norman — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 18:37:11 +0000

Beautiful way to explain this, Jenny. Thank you for your brilliance. This is definitely a place I visit often if not live there. The best way for me to get out of it is to try and focus on the productive, the beautiful, and the joy in the process.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 18:12:52 +0000

The simplest way out of both dilemmas is to develop a thick skin. If you stress emotionally (not technically) over your writing you are perhaps in the wrong business.

By: Kathy Steinemann

Kathy Steinemann — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 17:02:15 +0000

Thanks, Jenny. I've been guilty of some of the thoughts you mentioned. It's nice to know I'm not alone. Once I leave this comment, I'm off to share this post on social media.

By: Jenny Hansen

Jenny Hansen — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 16:39:49 +0000

In reply to Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt. I hope a writer you LOVE moves in too. Seriously, Alicia, there's nothing as uplifting as a great writing friend...especially when you're hanging out on "THAT corner."

By: Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt

Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 19:14:41 +0000

Great one - and it sounds like I need to set up some support systems. When things aren't going well, I have a tendency to just keep poking at the current scene (I work one scene at a time, sequentially, always pre-plotted). I never think of finding someone to vent to (though if you happen to ask, I'll tell you the truth IF I know you well enough!). I guess that's the introvert part. But I don't usually think it's me - just that whatever writing task is at hand is one of the hard ones, and it will be okay when I can visualize what's going on, and describe it, and use, in some way, all the notes from my pre-writing worksheets. Sometimes I realize I need to LEARN something new before I can proceed, other times I have to wait until I have a functional brain for a few hours. I moved to this retirement community knowing there were no other writers of fiction - and I keep hoping one will move in!

By: Jenny Hansen

Jenny Hansen — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 18:23:28 +0000

In reply to Rebecca Forster. Thanks, Rebecca! Hopefully, you know how much this comment means to me...YOU were the very first person who truly made me feel like "I really was a writer." I've never forgotten that workshop you did at your house with 10 squeaky new writers. So, any time I can give back to Rebecca Forster, it is an AMAZING day!

By: Jenny Hansen

Jenny Hansen — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 18:21:10 +0000

In reply to Angela Ackerman. AMEN, Angela! Fear really is a sign that something matters to us. And writers are SO awesome. Other writers are one of the main reasons, I kept pushing through, even though my brain didn't want to cooperate. I wanted to hang out with all the writers. (My people!)

By: Jenny Hansen

Jenny Hansen — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 18:19:05 +0000

In reply to Debbie Vilardi. This totally got me in the feels, Debbie. I wish more writers realized this, so the angst level would go down. "Change is scary no matter the form it takes. (Failure isn't change as I've had plenty of rejections, but success is.) This is why submission is the hardest thing for me."

By: Rebecca Forster

Rebecca Forster — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 16:03:55 +0000

That was a great piece and so timely (for me).

By: Angela Ackerman

Angela Ackerman — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 14:29:22 +0000

This is such a great way to put it, Jenny! I think Fear and Fine feed one another. We tend to fear what may happen, which creates internal doubt and a sense of inadequacy, and that inadequacy makes us fear that negative outcomes are more likely than positive ones.

But acting despite fear- that's where we must excel, and that's how we keep fighting, but for ourselves, and to be an example to others.

Writers are awesome! We can't forget that!