Halloween is the time when we think about scary things. What is out there that would scare a writer? Since there is a phobia for just about everything, it wasn't hard to find specific phobias that would hinder a writer's success. Some may even keep him from writing at all. If the thought of having one of the following phobias is bad, then just how bad would it be if you actually did have one or more of them? I wonder, would the desire to write be strong enough to overcome your fear?
If you don't have any of the following phobias (and I really hope you don't), then why don't you write a story about a wanna be writer who has one or more of them? Help this character overcome the phobias he or she has, then have your character go on to become a published writer, one whose books are in great demand.
Anthropophobia is the fear of meeting people. This one wouldn't so much hinder one from writing anything, but it could develop into a problem when the writer needs to meet new people like agents, publicists, or fans.
Bibliophobia is the fear of books. Maybe a writer afflicted with this phobia could just write short stories or articles. But a fear of books would make researching any subject difficult. Research could always be done on the internet, but if this writer also has Interophobia, the fear of the Internet, then using the Internet would also be out of the question.
Catagelophobia or Katagelophobia is the fear of being made fun of or ridiculed. I used to fear that people would make fun of the stories and/or articles that I wrote, but since I have been with BellaOnline, this fear has subsided. This fear doesn't so much hinder your writing as it impedes you letting others read your writing. It could also keep you from sending your creations off to publishers.
Glossophobia of is the fear of speaking in public. This phobia may hinder one from joining a writers' group. If an author's writing is a success, then this may slow down his or her career when invitations to appear on televion show or radio shows for interviews are turned down. This phobia would even make one not want to speak to a classroom full of those wanting to learn more about writing.
Ideophobia is the fear of ideas. Where would a writer be without any ideas? New ideas are such a huge part this career. Why would one be afraid of them? There isn't a lot of information on this phobia, but I don't know if someone with this phobia could be a writer.
Logophobia or Verbophobia is the fear of words. Wow. Not only would that hinder writing, it would hinder speaking and listening to others talk. How would one manage to communicate with a fear of words? Sign language? Even this would require having a vocabulary.
Panphobia or Pantophobia is the fear of nothing specific, but the fear of everything. A person with this phobia lives in a state of anxiety all the time.
Peniaphobia is the fear of poverty. Maybe this phobia wouldn't so much thwart writers as much as make them work harder at attempting to write a best seller. It really isn't easy to become rich by writing. There are a few lucky ones whose first novel becomes a smashing success, but that is not the norm.
Scopophobia is the fear of being seen or looked at. I guess one could just become a recluse and never leave the house or be seen by anyone, but writers do need to see other people. How would you know how people act without watching them? Characters on television act the way their writers make them act, not necessarily how they would act if they were real.
Sophophobia is the fear of learning. How can one write without learning anything? What about research?
Tropophobia is the fear of making changes. This would be bad, especially when one had to make changes to the story thought to be absolute perfection. A writer's ego, usually a fragile thing anyway, just might not be able to handle being told that his or her perfect story was not so perfect after all.
If there are any other phobias you believe would thwart a writer's success, please tell me about them in the forum.
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