Blogging Club: On honest writing

For our first “club meeting,” I thought we’d start at the very beginning.

Writing.

By now, you’ve probably figured out that I’m pretty big on this whole writing thing. I always have been. In fact, I don’t remember a time when writing wasn’t a fixture in my life. Front and center. It was always there — faithful and at the ready, any time I needed it. Early on, it sort of paved the way for my life and really gave me a solid foundation under my feet. At times, like after my father died, it helped me express myself when speaking the words just never seemed to be enough!

So when I came across this quote on Twitter about writing, it practically jumped through the computer screen and screamed my name. It shown brightly like a lighthouse in a dark abyss, like a rainbow at the end of a fierce storm, like… well, I’ll just let the words speak for themselves…

Great writing is not perfect; it’s real. It bleeds and leaves a trace…

Over the last six years, that’s exactly what I’ve tried to do. The truth is (no pun intended…), I’ve tried to view blogging like a mirror that I held up to myself. I’ve always wanted to be who I am and never have that be something I’m afraid of or something I feel like I have to hide. So I’ve practiced writing honestly, and now, I can’t imagine writing any other way. It’s gone from something I want to do to something I have to do. I don’t know how to write any other way than with a heavy dose of honesty.

At the very least, I hope I’ve somewhat succeeded in my efforts.

Because when you strip it all away, all those layers and those facades and the people we think we are, you’re left with those imperfect, bleeding words. We find ourselves. We find our identity. It’s those imperfections that are so beautiful. There’s a certain intangible beauty in being real and vulnerable and your authentic self. Don’t cheat yourself of that experience. You can’t put your finger on it, but you can definitely feel it. And maybe that is what makes all the difference in the world in the end.

With great power comes great responsibility. The same can be said of writing. I hope you’ll always use your power and your words for good… xoxo

[Photos via We Heart It]