Fear and/of Writing

This article in the New York Times on Writing and Fear hit a nerve. Don't write what you know, the author advises, write what you fear.

It got me to thinking: What if the things you fear are wrapped up in the writing process itself? To wit:

Blank pages. First drafts. Scenes that plop themselves on the page like a flatulent uncle at a family gathering. (Which reminds me: cliches.) And the first five pages. And those few final sentences before The End. The submission. The silence.The calendar. The odds. The next one.

What keeps your writerly mind cowering beneath the sheets?