Second Assignment

Here's my second assignment in my creative writing workshop I'm taking at universalclass.com

Q? I was asked to describe my fear(s) that hold me back from writing. From giving it my all.

Here's my answer.
A.Hmm.... You want to know my fears on writing? 

I'm like most everyone else on the planet and have the fear of writing words that suck, that are pure drivel.  I fear that no matter how long I try and practice, that the best work I can produce would belong in the trash compactor. It's also a scary thing to put your words out there. To let pieces of yourself go, your words, and to be exposed to others. It's so easy to get hurt that way. It takes courage to put yourself out there and to keep banging into that brick wall, until it comes tumbling down. It takes courage, perseverance, and discipline. 

I know I have weak areas that I do need to work on in my writing, one of them being dialogue. I have no problem talking to people in real life, so why can't I get my characters to open up more on the page?

I was reading an article not too long ago that suggested you go out in public and eavesdrop on people around you. I did this today in K-Mart. A lady was talking to two acquaintances about her daughter's voice lessons that may or may not happen the day after Christmas. She thought it was funny that the music teacher was going to hold lessons the day after Christmas, and was going to take her, until her mother-in-law called and announced that she was going to hold a family dinner. So the lady had to back out of the lessons. (This had to be the most boring conversation in the history of conversations). I moved on, after stupidly standing there staring at brown and white teddy bears in hoodies. Did I mention I was in the toy section?

Hoping for more interesting dialogue, I wondered into the pharmacy isle looking for the latest spin style brush from Con-Air for hair-care. I happened upon an older gentleman, with a country twang and a walking cane talking to a couple of old friends. He was telling them how he was broke and hobbling around with the cane. He said he had a chiropractor who x-rayed him, when he walked with pain in the knee. The doctor asked him if he had fallen. The gentleman said, "No, I haven't." But then he got to thinking. "Well, about six months ago, I was out plowing the back 40 and I stepped down off my tractor and fell over. But I got back up. I was ok." The doctor said, "That's the way these injuries occur. Something minor gets pulled or inflamed and you can't tell, but it will set up a huge problem down the road." The gentleman continued to tell his friends, how many weeks of adjustments he had to go through to get his leg feeling better again. But he still wasn't there yet, as he still had the cane.

Since I didn't get lucky enough to hear any juicy gossip, I paid for my purchases and left the store. Perhaps, I could try going to the local bar for more scintillating conversation? 

 I suppose the key to conquering your fears, is just to face them. Don't look at fear at something that paralyzes you, but instead as a tool to make you think on your toes, to grow and adapt, and become something more that you are at the moment. It can be a tool for growth. That's how I choose to look at it!