Writing is scary. It puts you out there, bares your soul before the reading world. It reveals your beliefs, your hurts, your temptations. It shows everyone your weaknesses, your hopes deferred and your failures. It opens you up to severe criticism. The exposure is profound.
Yet, in the nakedness, the writer also just might find him or herself. In the writing, the deep reality of self might be revealed in a way that nothing else can. It is a sort of self-portrait, a looking glass into the alternate universe from which you came. And it shows who you wish to be, if only you could.
All of us, in this life, reveal only what we must and hold dear that which is tortured, or uncertain, or afraid. We put our best foot forward, and wear a mask to disguise the part of us that easily unravels.
Writing is scary. You can unravel along with your character. You can takes risks and be afraid. You can triumph where you thought you never would. You can lose that which you hold dear and feel the tear rend your heart…and still live.
In writing you can become who you are…and it is okay. So you ask yourself…how can I NOT write? Perhaps in the writing, you can learn to unmask and live like you’ve never lived before.
Writing is scary. You open yourself up to harsh criticism. I remind myself that if I don't keep pressing forward, I will never get better. So I take in the constructive criticism, and shun the bad, and continue to write.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes! Writing definitely is therapeutic. We can flesh out so many deep ideas in the process of writing (and reading!)
Good post :)
Thanks Brandon. Onward and upward!
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