As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am going through all of
my entries, re-reading them, editing a bit here and there, and also adding a
picture or two to each posting. I know the pics are not necessary, but I’m
simply finding it fun to add them. More importantly,
I’m adding a title to each post so that it will be easier to determine what the
post is about in the event you would like to read an earlier note. I don’t bring this up as a reminder, but
rather, as I have been going through the process of these updates, I discovered
something I had completely forgotten.
I don’t look at my profile that often other than to check to
see how many have viewed it or if I want to make any changes. It’s there that I
noticed it shows I’ve been on Blogger since October of 2007. I have seen that
before, of course, but never paid much attention to it. But as I have been
updating my post entries, I noted my first entry that I published for viewing
is May 27, 2012. That’s about 4-1/2
years since I first set up my blogger page.
I do remember that I wrote a note and posted it. I don’t remember what
the post was about, nor do I remember how long I kept it up there, although I
know it wasn’t very long before I
deleted it.
I bring this up for two reasons. One is that I wish I had
kept that post, even if I decided not to let anyone else see it. Secondly, I
wish I hadn’t been so afraid to let others see what I had written. Had I
kept the post live, perhaps I would have started writing at that time instead
of 2012 with my blog and 2013 with my first novel and textbook. A tiny bit of
an excuse is that I was working full time at an online school, so I was on my
computer all day, sometimes into the evening and weekends. By the end of
my work day, I didn’t have the energy to
spend more time on more writing. But still, if I hadn’t been afraid to keep
that first post published for the world to see, I very well might have begun
writing almost 5 years earlier.
That stings just a little because perhaps by now I would
have several books published instead of working on only my third. I share this
with you because, if you aren’t ready to publish quite yet, that’s okay, but
keep what you write. Don’t delete it. More than likely you can learn from
earlier writings and maybe even wind up publishing it after all with some polishing.
I would also urge you to not let your fear stop you as it
did me. I do tell myself that what I
might have written 5 years ago may not have been as good as what and how I
write now, but I’ll never know for sure. And you know what? Time is going to
pass whether you write or not. So don’t let that time pass without writing.
Don’t let fear interrupt your writing goals.
Time may fly when you’re having fun, but it does the same when you’re wasting
it.
