Twenty Seconds of Insane Bravery

We took the kids to see We Bought a Zoo the other day. In it, the main character, played by Matt Damon, said that sometimes all it takes is twenty seconds of insane bravery. Aside from being a touching statement, it's fantastic inspiration. As writers, twenty seconds of bravery is what it takes to hit send on a query email, or push that envelope through the slot. Twenty seconds is how long it takes to hand over your manuscript to a beta reader or critique partner. Twenty seconds will net you an elevator pitch, better known as the drunken bar pitch. Oh, wait, it's not called that? All the ones I witnessed involved alcohol.

Once you take that step, there's no going back. You've taken that courage and used it to pursue the next step. Sometimes, though, it takes more than twenty seconds of bravery to get where you're going.

A writer must carry their conviction through the entirety of their work. Yes, we face doubts ("No one's going to want to read this," "this sucks," "I'll never find an agent/publishing house," etc.), but those who make it have to stay brave throughout and push right through those doubts.

Courtesy of Mohamed Ibrahim, clker.com

In those moments of doubt, it only takes those twenty seconds of insane bravery to push through the hump. We've all got that within us. I hope everyone out there employs their twenty seconds to make the next step today, whether it's just to face that manuscript today, to write a tricky scene, to query someone, or whatever else requires that measure of courage.

What has required your twenty seconds of insane bravery lately? Was it worth it?

May you find your Muse.