The skill of writing, penning a piece of work, whether that work be a blog post, short story, article or novel, is that it is such a solitary endeavor; one that you complete alone, without the aid or accompaniment of any other living being. And that aloneness can be staggering. You are left with only your voice. You are forced to battle against your own doubts and fears just to perfect the next sentence, paragraph.
Oftentimes this contrary voice becomes dominant throughout your writing process. And once your piece is complete the voice has grown even louder. It’s only when our work is given to the world that we, as writers, have the opportunity to commune with others and receive much-needed words of affirmation about our work. Meeting readers gives us the boosts of confidence that we so desired during our creative processes.
These boosts are few and far between, but we live on them. We thrive because of them. So, thank you to everyone I met at the Atlanta Baby and Child Expo this weekend. Thank you for reaffirming my worth as a writer. I appreciate you. I need you.