From Stephen King’s On Writing:
“I’m convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing.”
I get this. One of my greatest fears is being misunderstood. I don’t want anything I say to misinterpreted in some unflattering way. This fear manifests when I’m speaking or performing. It’ll cause me to ramble or repeat myself a million times over if I’m not confident that I got my point across.
For other comedians the fear manifests differently. You ever hear a comedian end every other sentence with “you know?” or “right?” That’s my biggest pet peeve with comedy. The comedian is insecure in their ability to set up their premise, right? And so they have to constantly check in, right? Stop it. Cut that word. If you’re so concerned with getting the point across, put more work into the material.
If you’re not confident with your first draft (no one is) view the rewriting process as a confidence building exercise. Don’t let fear take over. Don’t let it stop you from taking risks. Don’t let it force you to over explain.
Don’t let fear win. Fear gives thee worst advice.
Right?