Afraid of what? Failure? Partly. Success? That’s more like it. Author Dan Miller at 48 Days.com talks about the fear of success on his blog and weekly podcast quite often, and how this is what keeps people from putting themselves out there, to realize their potential.
But don’t most people dream of that one day when they make it big? Yes they do. That’s where it stops though. They dream. They don’t do.
Most also have an unhealthy notion of success. They look at J. K. Rowling or even at some of the classic writers like Salinger or Harper Lee and think, “All I need is that one story and I’m set for life.” Sorry, buddy, even Shakespeare had a plethora of tales at his disposal. I will agree, some successful writers seem to have that one hit that sets them apart from the rest—I know Blatty wrote more than just The Exorcist, but he will always be known for the one work that defines even the realm of horror movies. Most, however, have an immense backlist.