Writing is not a frightening thing. Not in and of itself. Writing is a release, an opportunity that is
different from any other outlet. You choose
words that you believe convey the meaning that you are wanting to express and
arrange them in a way that makes sense and sounds “nice” to you. It can be a purging of emotion, an
explanation of a perspective, a creative outlet. No, writing is not scary.
Sharing your writing is scary. For some, it’s downright terrifying. But why?
What are we so afraid of in sharing our writing that is so different
than sharing our other works? We aren’t
afraid to share our homework, we often aren’t terrified of sharing our opinion
(though I realize this depends almost entirely on context). Writing is terrifying because it’s so gosh
darn personal. The same reason why it’s
such a release, such a freedom in choosing and fitting together words to
provide a platform for your thoughts in a way that no other form of creativity
can manage – is exactly why it’s so scary.
When we share our writing, we are saying, “I chose these words,” and, “this
represents thoughts that were in my head,” and, “I thought that this was worthy
of showing other people”. We give
unconscious permission for not only support of our work, our deeply personal,
individualized, self-reflecting work, but also for criticism. For someone to disagree with an idea or use
of grammar or metaphor or viewpoint or whatever it is that you made with words and
to be able to point with specificity to the piece of your work (see full
description above) that they do not like.
Even if there is no blatant commentary at all, your own self-doubt can
often provide that criticism you’re otherwise missing.
Now we all know that this does not meant that your critics
do not like you, or even your work in its entirety. And this is also not to say that I cannot
handle constructive criticism – as any writer, student, or really person ought
to I welcome it and its ability to refine my work and perhaps even myself. But that doesn’t mean it’s not scary.
I mean, if I'm being honest, wasn’t writing this a whole lot less risky than
posting a poem or short story I’ve written?
I really agree with you here and it's something I've wondered myself. For example, I love art and I love writing, but it is always easier for me to show my sketches or paintings to something than it is to even show that same person an essay for school. It really doesn't make a lot of sense! But at the same time, I wonder if maybe this could be because "good writing" is so much more opinion based. I feel like if I wrote a novel that even some of the people closest to me may not think it's good simply because it doesn't speak to them for one reason or another. To put it very simply, it seems that it's easier to make a painting that is pleasing to the eye than it is to create words that are pleasing to someone else's mind or heart. At least for me, that's what I'm afraid of; that the meaning or beauty that I attempt to put in my own writing will completely be missed by my readers.
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