more about writing

This morning, I got an e-mail / comment on my blog from “Anonymous”. It freaked me out a little because I didn’t know WHO was commenting. One of the things noted in the comment was about writing itself: “More than anything it takes a great deal of courage”. And I thought, yeah, because I feel like I’m exposing myself to the criticism and rejection of the world by putting words together to make ideas that people might disagree with. So I wondered why this person would know how scary it was for me to have a blog and yet be “anonymous”. Well not ten minutes later, I got an e-mail from this wonderful person who I know intimately, saying it was she who posted the comment. She just had never done it before and decided to call herself anon. Ha! Then I reread the comment and could see right away it was her “voice” and I felt all relieved I didn’t have a stalker. Funny.

But back to writing - it IS true that I AM nervous about exposing myself in the blog but it’s just something I have to get over if I really want to write. Whenever I get a letter to the editor published, I get a chill up my spine when I see my name in the paper under the letter that hold my opinion. There’s the thrill of seeing your name in print but there’s the agony of knowing that somewhere, someone won’t agree with me. Well, I can’t control anyone but myself and I have to just deal with that.

My main problem these days seems to be coming up with some subject on which to opine. There are lots of them out there but I don’t necessarily have an opinion on them all. Stephen King “On Writing” says you should try to write at the same time each day so that your muse knows where to find you and then does so. That’s not bad advice. After the weekend, I shall see.