As I embark on a blog that has my REAL name attached to it (anxiously biting fingernails as we speak) this little bit of wisdom keeps going through my head. I need to chill out a bit and not take myself so seriously.
There is an inner joy and satisfaction that comes along with writing. That character in your head speaks to you, and you catch it all and put it down. Hopefully what he/she tells me assembles itself into some kind of coherent story, and with some editing and tweaking you are ready to share that story with others.
Where I get stuck is when I stop writing for me, and spend too much time thinking about what other people are going to think about it. Then the angst begins, and pretty soon I have procrastinated right out of writing anything at all. Writer's fear. I think anyone who writes has felt it. But what I have to keep reminding myself is that if I am writing for me, and other people happen to like it too- well that is a great bonus!
I notice when I start trying to write for others, my writing become stiff and lifeless. I get bored with it. There is nothing in it that makes me want to stay and read or write more. And if I don't want to read what I wrote, why would anyone else?
So I'm working on loosening up. Going with the flow. Finding the pleasure in writing and just hanging out with those mysterious characters flying around in my head. I hope that something magical happens, but if it doesn't, well at least I had fun creating it and I can be proud of it.
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