Writers and Readers

Finding time to write has been difficult over the last few weeks. I thought that I could/would post two to three times a week when I began this blog, but I’m doing well to have one post every couple of weeks. I want to be personal, thoughtful, creative, clever—characteristics that making writing fun to read--and enjoyable for the reader--but when I sit down to write, I don’t know what to say or how to say it. I stare at a blank screen thinking through what I want to say long before I start writing. I wonder who will read my words and what they will think. Will they merely scroll down and look for pictures, or will they read and reflect on the words as I do? Will they see the grammatical mistakes I make and think, “She’s a writing teacher?!!” Will they judge my writing and doubt my capabilities as a writer as I often do. Will they see me as a farce? What will my writing say about me to them? Will they really get what I’m trying to say? And who reads this anyway? What will they think? Who will leave comments? What will they say? These are some things—insecurities if you may—that I ponder as I sit down to write; they are the same things that keep me from writing. In spite of my fears, I feel I must write, for through writing I learn what I think. I can explore what my experiences might mean for me at any given moment. I can get my words down on paper. Later, I can read back through these posts and read the experiences in different ways. Writing allows me to chronicle my life, a life that is unique not because others haven’t shared similar experiences and feelings; but rather a life that is unique because it is mine. I have my own interpretations of my experiences; you may have your own. And it is this interaction between writer and reader that makes writing readable. It is why I read the texts of others, and it is why I hope mine is read.