I just discovered this website, Sad animal facts. I love it! This particular graphic reminds me how much writers are like bees. So much of our writing life is done as a solitary endeavor, mostly in our minds and through our fingers. That doesn’t mean it isn’t awesome to have a writing group or other writers to go to happy hour or tea with.
Recently, I got this old familiar feeling surrounding the fact that I’m a writer. A crawling and awkward feeling. I feel uncomfortable talking about my writing to new people. It’s something that I feel often. Sometimes they are writers and sometimes not. Overall, I think the discomfort is based on fear. Mainly I’m afraid they won’t understand what I’m talking about when I talk about one of my projects or they’ll look at me and nod, but inside they are judging me, not understanding how important writing is to my emotional well-being, not to mention my soul. It’s dramatic but true.
Sometimes I wonder if I even know how to talk about writing. By that I mean, can I talk about it without sounding dramatic or odd. It’s so personal, but at the same time when a short story gets published or a creative non-fiction piece, it’s out there for all to see, for all to judge and I want it that way because I want to share my world with others. Once it’s out there it’s for everyone else to decide how it is perceived. Oh, my! That is pretty scary…
In the end, I know it only matters how I perceive the writing and the response, and I also know that I’ll keep trying new things both in writing and talking about it.
What makes you uncomfortable?
Next week I’ll have the next aspiring authors Q and A with Erin Kettle, women’s fiction writer! Don’t forget to check it out.
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