It’s Day 10 in our series, 31 Days of Writing Tips, and today’s writing prompt is: SCARED.

Each of the posts in this series has been written in five minutes flat, in conjunction with the October writing challenge, 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes.

For more prompts in this series, visit the Table of Contents page.

Author Holley Gerth says, “Write in a way that scares you a little.”

That quote scares me a little! Who wants to write scared?!

I admit that I most often avoid this type of writing . . . But over the years, I’ve realized that whenever I do follow this advice, I tend to get the most meaningful responses from readers.

When I stick to the “safe,” sterile type of writing, my heart is not in it as much and it can become a bit dry and monotonous. There’s something about being genuine, sincere, and vulnerable when we write that makes our work more powerful and more relatable to others.

What about you? Have you ever tried writing in a way that scares you a little? If so, what was the result?

If not, what stories come to mind that you would be scared to write?

If fear is holding you back, remember what God so often says about fear in His Word: “Fear not, for I am with you.”

Be wise, of course — don’t write something that would be offensive or hurtful to someone else. But pray about that thing you’re scared to write, and see if God nudges you to write it anyway. Maybe it’s time.

Maybe Satan has been playing the fear card in your heart to keep you from having a significant impact on someone else for the glory of God. You might never know until you stare down the fear and overcome it with faith in the One who gave you this story to tell.