Misunderstood Motives

Someone posted a picture on social media today:

"WARNING:  NOVELIST AT WORK.  BYSTANDERS MAY BE WRITTEN INTO THE STORY."

A common problem with writers is that everyone around them sees themselves in the writing.  It's hard when the most important people in your life misunderstand your motives.  I'm not a smart person, but there are lessons that I've learned through hard knocks.  The lesson I'm learning on any given day is rumbling around in my head in a jumble of words.  I'm a writer, and words are important to writers. Though I spent many years in another career, writing has always been who I am.  The lesson of the day doesn't completely formulate until it is on paper (or virtual paper).

Writers write what they know about, what is important to them, what is on their mind, and what is close to their hearts.  Yes, I am a writer.  That describes me perfectly.  I don't write to hurt anyone, to be vindictive, to criticize, or to judge.  I try very hard to be objective in my writing, but since I do write from my heart, I do express opinions.

My hope is that those who stop to read what I write will benefit from it.  If not, it would be a waste of their time.  All of us go through different challenges in our lives, but we all have one thing in common:  Life is tough.  We all have problems and lessons to learn.  As I learn life's lessons and write them down, hopefully, it will help someone else who is working through a similar problem.  If people see themselves in my words, I don't think that's a bad thing.  We need to open our hearts to each other and learn from one another.  I've learned many things from reading what others have written.

I've written things (and made them public) that I don't want people to know about me -- especially those closest to me.  There was one blog post in particular that the instant I hit "publish," I thought I was going to throw up.  I published it anyway.  I did so because I knew that I could not possibly be the only person who felt the way I was feeling, and that maybe others might quickly learn from my post what had taken me years of beating my head against a wall to learn for myself.  Isn't that what life is all about? Helping each other along the way?  I've also had a couple of articles published that made me extremely vulnerable, and sadly my words have already been twisted and used to hurt me.

In my writing, I try to look outside my own little problems and my own little world at who else may benefit from what's kicking around in my head.  To my readers I would say that if you see yourself in something I write, please don't take it personally. Please understand that what you see that describes you and your situation or life circumstance, may also describe many other people and their situations and life circumstances -- including me. Please look outside of your own little world at who may benefit from reading my thoughts.  If my writing upsets you, simply don't read it.