Graphophobia is the irrational fear of writing—especially handwriting. Scriptophobia is the extreme fear of writing in public. People suffering from these conditions are known to avoid writing as the mere thought of writing brings anxiety.

Can you have a phobia of writing?

The first is ‘scriptophobia’ (Biran, Augusto and Wilson, 1981) or ‘writing phobia’ (Johnson, Shenoy and Gilmore, 1982), which is an irrational fear of writing in front of another person.

What causes fear in writing?

The fear of writing usually originates from a negative experience in one’s past. Apart from technicalities, many Scriptophobes are also afraid of fear of rejection, fear of ridicule or the fear of embarrassing themselves or fear of being criticized etc.

How do I get rid of my phobia of writing?

Start with a short story, or try out some writing prompts. Aspiring writers might feel intiimdated because they don’t think that they are a great writer. The reality is, you can never become a great writer unless you practice—and to practice, you have to write. Embrace and overcome your fear by putting words down.

What is the fear of handwriting called?

graphophobia in British English



(ˌɡræfəʊˈfəʊbɪə ) noun. a fear or dislike of writing.

Is writing anxiety a thing?

“Writing anxiety” and “writer’s block” are informal terms for a wide variety of apprehensive and pessimistic feelings about writing. These feelings may not be pervasive in a person’s writing life. For example, you might feel perfectly fine writing a biology lab report but apprehensive about writing a paper on a novel.

How do you show fear in writing?

The most effective way to portray a character’s fear isn’t to show just their physical responses in the moment. When you sprinkle little snippets of what they’re afraid of throughout the story, the reader will not only know the character is afraid, but will be afraid for the character when the moment of truth arrives.

How do you write a fear in writing?

You can create a fearful situation to move a plot forward. You can literally change the setting by making characters move to avoid a threat. You can increase or decrease the pace of a story by introducing a threat. You can show another facet of the character in the way he or she reacts to fear.

What is Zoophobia?

Zoophobia is an extreme fear of animals. Many people who have zoophobia fear one specific type of animal. Others fear many types of animals or all animals. The fear of animals is a type of anxiety disorder called a specific phobia. Specific phobias are intense fears of certain objects, situations, people or animals.

What is Phyllophobia?

Phyllophobia, the fear of leaves, might not be as much in the news this autumn as coulrophobia, the fear of clowns. But anywhere that crinkly, dead leaves are, some people are scared of them.

What causes Chronophobia?

What causes chronophobia? Healthcare providers believe chronophobia and other phobias result from a mix of environmental factors and genetics. Being incarcerated, having a terminal illness or surviving a traumatic event can lead to chronophobia.

How do you show fear in writing?

The most effective way to portray a character’s fear isn’t to show just their physical responses in the moment. When you sprinkle little snippets of what they’re afraid of throughout the story, the reader will not only know the character is afraid, but will be afraid for the character when the moment of truth arrives.

How do you describe the feeling of fear in writing?

Use these responses to create suspense in your book. Fight – choose when your characters would reasonably stay to confront the danger. Flight – choose when your character would reasonably choose to run away. Freeze – choose when your character would realistically become paralysed with fear.

How do you write a fear in writing?

Build Suspense



Suspense is arguable the most practised tool to invoke fear in writing. It is the knowing and foreboding feeling that a situation will not end with a positive outcome.

How do you describe scared writing?

Scared, frightened, afraid and terrified are probably the most common adjectives to describe feeling fear, but if you want to broaden your vocabulary, there are many other useful alternatives.

What does fear taste like?

While some people describe the anxiety-altered taste as metallic, others describe it as sour, acidic, or bitter. For some, the taste is just generally unpleasant. It may also feel as though you have bad breath or a film over your teeth.

How would you describe crying in writing?

The best way to indicate that a character is crying as they are speaking is to break the dialogue up to slow it down. One way you can do that is with the use of ellipses, like this: “I don’t know… Maybe it’s just… better this way.”