Shannon Wixom
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Put Yourself Out There

5/31/2012

5 Comments

 
Recently I wrote a writer friend an email saying that I admired her because she was willing to let others read her work, to "put herself out there" so to speak. "That's how you grow as a writer," I told to her.

Then two days later, in a fit of tearful frustration, I moaned to my husband, "I'm tired of putting myself out there. I can't do it anymore."

Perhaps I should be listening to my own advice.

If my emotions are any indication of other writers, we run hot or cold at the snap of a finger.

One hour I'm feeling pretty good about my writing, like I'm qualified to give others advice and happy to keep pursuing the dream of getting published.

Then something simple (an email from my agent in this case) leaves me questioning why I'm even bothering with this hopeless pursuit. I should just keep my writing to myself. No one else cares about my stories the way I do anyway.

While thoughts of being a "closet writer" might console me for a while, the simple truth is that I wouldn't have grown in my craft if I didn't "put myself out there."

Five years ago when I started to write seriously, I didn't have a  writing style of my own and fell into the faux pas that many newby writers make (telling instead of showing, copying my favorite author's style, not utilizing the five senses to describe a scene, etc.).

It was the critique of a trusted friend and my literary agent that molded me into a much, much better writer.

So, as much as I dislike the vulnerable, exposed feeling of "putting myself out there," I will keep doing it because I never want to stop growing as a writer.

It should be noted that my agent did not intend to send me on an I-suck-as-a-writer spiral with her email. As a woman and a writer, I frequently add my own interpretation to other people's words.

My husband is actively working to cure me of this hereditary disease.
5 Comments
Nate Wixom
5/31/2012 08:01:09 am

Life is never as bad as it appears and it always always gets better.
The best way to see this is to keep a journal or blog and look back on the peaks and valleys and admire the view.
What I love is that you are focused on enjoying the journey, even during temporary set backs.
Love ya,
Nate

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Pattie link
6/2/2012 10:14:37 am

I too had to come to a point where I said, "screw it, I'm putting myself out there!" and I've been blogging a few years. It is so fulfilling to me. We writers can't explain it any other way. It is our creative outlet. I think of it as a scrapbook or journal for my kids, and mycooking blog as my recipes to hand down. It'll never be unimportant to your family. That's my motto anyway. :D Keep it up!

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Shannon Wixom
6/2/2012 10:30:08 am

Thanks for your comment, Pattie. That's EXACTLY why I write too, because it's so fulfilling! And we should all be doing at least one thing that is fulfilling to us. I'm blessed to be able to do many things that fulfill me.

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yuri ecchi link
7/30/2012 01:43:22 am

Great blog post, thanks for posting this.

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Shannon Wixom link
7/30/2012 05:48:03 am

Hi Yuri,

Thanks for posting a comment on my blog! I hope you never stop pursuing your dreams, but also, never forget the number one reason WHY you're pursuing them in the first place...because they fulfill you. (I've had to remind myself of the WHY a lot lately.)

Shannon

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