Written by It has been quite a long while since I have written in this Blog.
Which is a shame, but I hope to change that soon. I did at least keep up the appearance of the Blog and made sure it was as secure as I could make it. I also added a plugin or two to make it possible to share easier and get more readers.
If we had to say what writing is, we would have to define it essentially as an act of courage. —Cynthia Ozick
I do not intend to write much about my particular difficulties in this post. I was thinking about difficulties that all writers face. If you look around in books, on the internet…
especially the internet…
or wherever else you like to get your information you will find that most writers have more detractors that fans.
Even on Facebook when you are just sharing different quotes, thoughts and images you run the risk of people posting comments that are not just in opposition but are just downright derogatory and vulgar. If you are lucky, the comments will only debate the soundness of your logic. It will be more likely that people will comment about your grammar, spelling, sources or other things that bear little if any significance to the actual post. It is the rare writer who would not feel the barbs of those comments, reviews or opinions that are so negative.
Personally, I feel that I am my own worst critic. I am very hard on myself in just about everything I do. I try not to, but it’s a habit that so far no matter how hard I have tried I have not been able to break it. I am hoping that the more I actively write the less I will criticize myself. I find it hard to believe that I am alone with this problem.
Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up. —Jane Yolen
It is very easy to retweet a tweet that you like or to click a like and a share button on a funny post in a Facebook feed. There is value in reading them and sharing them. As useful as those functions are if that is all you do you are merely consuming in one form or another. We all want to be good consumers of knowledge, but those who take the time to write also want to be good creators. A good creator does not come naturally, it takes time to learn the necessary skills to write well. I have not taken nearly as much time as I should but even this post will be used, consciously or subconsciously, to hone my writing skills. The kind of dedication needed to keep on writing is not easy to come by, especially when one factors in everything else life throws at you. If you don’t list writing among one of your priorities you will most likely not become a good writer. I am not suggesting that it needs to be the top priority, but if you do not write frequently then most likely you will lose what interest you had and progress will halt, and most likely regression will occur.
Don’t feel guilty about being afraid of the blank page. Don’t think you aren’t a writer if you don’t rush to the computer first thing when you get up in the morning in order to face the empty page. Writing is hard work. Filling up an empty page with your thoughts, your pains, your joys, and your creative ideas takes immense courage. —Rachel Ballon
Just looking at a blank page and trying to fill it with something takes more energy than most people realize. Facing your fears, truly examining your thoughts or transforming your ideas into art is not a task to be taken lightly. It can even more daunting when you know that lots of people will be viewing your creations. A writer knows that part of the reason he writes is to create something to share with others. This doesn’t prevent writers from feeling the swirling emotions that bubble to the surface every time he puts pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. In fact, most writers welcome the emotions and harness them to fuel their creations with life beyond their own. The fear still remains, but for those who continue to write it does not control them.
Writers will hopefully learn a lesson that all should learn. One should not ignore that which makes them who they are, but instead both acknowledge and revel in their complexity and uniqueness.
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Proud Husband and Father; Computer Geek and Technophile; Avid Reader and Aspiring Writer; Active in Political Discourse; Role Player and LARPer; Model Rocket enthusiast and ... 
