“True courage is being afraid, and going ahead and doing your job anyhow, that’s courage what courage is.”
― Norman Schwarzkopf
I’ve written before about courage, and about fear. You all know that I am intimately familiar with both. Of course, anyone who knows anything about writing, knows fear.
“Is it good enough?”
Is it clear, concise?”
“Does it convey what I’m trying to tell the world about me, my story?”
We all start out burning to share the story within us, and we all strive to do the best we can with sharing our story. We all, also worry if what we produce is good enough. Not just “good enough” in terms of whether or not a story will sell. Selling your story is another issue altogether. What strikes fear in the core of the heart of every writer is how or when someone will realize when you share story, you share a piece of your soul.
If you are so new to the writing process hat you have yet to realize this is the core of good story telling, then be warned. People you share your stories with will find out things about you which you never intended to share. The true gift of a gifted storyteller is the ability to share who you are and what you believe with others.
The inability to do this leaves the story flat for the reader. The unwillingness to do this leaves both the reader and the storyteller unsatisfied.
The choice we make as writers is to tell or not to tell our readers who we ultimately are as people. This is the experience every avid readers seeks when choosing how to spend their hard earned money and their precious time. Take care not to insult, offend or alienate your precious readers by withholding who you are as a storyteller.