Sunday, January 16, 2011

WRITING WITH FEAR

Fear?


A few months ago a friend sent me an article about blog writing. I finally got around to reading it. It’s one of those things I read and think, “I needed to hear this.”

“Probloggers such as Daniel aren’t afraid to let their true selves out. They embrace the fear of writing something that people might disagree with. They put themselves in uncomfortable positions because they want to stand out from the crowd.

Many of you hold back from saying what is truly in your heart. You’re afraid of the reaction that might occur. This is completely understandable, but the only way you will break through and create a blog that people keep coming back to is to create something that people can’t get anywhere else.

You have to create connections with people that allow for deep connections.” (Karl Staib-Daily Blog Tips)

This article made me aware that one of the reasons I haven’t been blogging much is this very thing. Before we made this last move from one city to another, I seem to have no fear about what I wrote. Not that I would be offensive to anyone, but just willing to speak what was in my heart, my mind; where my emotions and challenges were.

I don’t know what there is about being back in this place where I come from that makes me more concerned about what I express. On New Year’s Day one of my daughters asked me what my goals were for 2011. Not being a person who really thinks that way, I was actually very grateful for her question. It became a needed challenge for me. I did respond rather quickly with a couple of things but I now add this to my list:

I want to write freely, without fear, without concern of judgment, with a willingness to be open, vulnerable and transparent.

2 comments:

Mary S said...

As the scripture says, "Love casts out fear." I have a hunch that if you pray for the folks who read your words--even if you don't know who they might be--fear will vanish as love grows. Blessings on it, Cathy!

Denise said...

"Writers are the purifiers of the culture. We may not be pure ourselves, but we must tell the truth, which is a purifying act." -Rita Mae Brown

There are more secret writers among us than we realize. I have found that those who really want to write are writers. Lists are writing. Notes are writing. Journals are writing. Women are writers. When we speak our truth in our writing, even if it's only for our own eyes, we are cleaned and healed.