Writing online
I recently asked myself: why the hell am I doing this? I don’t have an Instagram. I haven’t posted to Facebook in a decade. Sharing my inner thoughts with the world feels unnatural. Almost icky. Plus, I'm worried it may be feeding something unhealthy. A longing for approval, likes, love.
And yet here I am putting more words out there. Why?
I’ve long thought of the best writers as magicians. They put one word after another, and all of a sudden I'm laughing or crying or considering the world in a new way. Writing is a game I want to master. And sharing my writing on the internet is the quickest way I know to get feedback and improve.
You never know who might find your work months or years later. Just this morning, someone emailed to say he's been enjoying spending time on my blog. He recently read my "Very Online vs. Very Offline" post and suggested a few historical figures as potential additions to my list. Hearing from people who enjoy my weird thoughts makes writing online worth it.
It terrorizes me that I'll never be able to get every sentence just right. In the past, this often led me not to press 'Publish'. Writing online helps fight this mental block. It's an exercise in learning to sit with imperfection.
The internet is like a playground. You can either sit on the bench and watch the other kids play, or you can join in. It's more fun to join in.