Dead End: When the Story Feels Stuck

Sometimes, we have a story to tell.

A story that is dying, begging, pleading to come out. A story that insists on being told. An experience or reflection that is too powerful not to share.

But telling stories isn’t always that easy. Sharing voice, as simple as it seems, often comes with complications, rough roads and dead ends.

Sometimes, the story just gets stuck.

I’m currently working on a book that is requiring me to delve deeply, to share things I’ve never shared, to write things I never thought I’d have the courage to write, to share my truth while revealing the mistakes of another.

That scared me.

I was so controlled by the fear of it all that, with each turn, I ran into a dead end. The trepidation of sharing my truth paralyzed my voice. I became stuck.

I knew what I wanted to say. I knew what I had to say. But I didn’t know how to say it. And I didn’t know how to say it without hurting others.

Dead End.

The more I toiled over it, the larger it grew, taking on a life of its own, becoming monstrous. Knowing I needed help to defeat the colossus I had created in my mind, I reached out to a dear friend, who also happens to be a writer.

She talked me off the ledge, helped me regain clarity on my story’s purpose and reminded me that the parts I was afraid to tell are not so big in the grand scheme of things. And then, she shared with me this precious piece of advice:

“Trust the process you need to go through to get the story out.” ~Angie Mizzell

When it comes to sharing voice, no truer words have ever been spoken.

Whether you’re writing a story, painting a portrait or singing a ballad, you must give way to the process. There can be no “dead ends” when it comes to voice and creativity. Dead ends are a result of fear. And fear will kill your voice, every time.

When your story feels stuck…when you’re facing the dead end, I encourage you to honestly and earnestly explore that of which you are most fearful, acknowledge that it makes you uncomfortable, realize that you control whether it becomes larger than life or small and insignificant, and move forward with your story anyway.

The world needs to hear your stories…and my stories, too.

~

Have you ever struggled to share your voice? How did you overcome the fear? Please share in the comments below.