Writers fill the earth.
You can see them thronging on social media – a screenshot-worthy status, that perfect IG caption, a serial novel on FB Notes. Now here you are, an aspiring writer, thinking, My gosh, they are awesome. How can they express themselves that well? Also, what with those words you didn’t know exist?
Subjugate. (What does that mean again?)
Lackadaisical. (Woah, is that even spelled right?)
Phantasmagoria. (Okay, who would use this term on Facebook? Haha.)
Sometimes, writing becomes a little intimidating. Well, it can be a bit too intimidating that you end up paralyzed before a cursor, afraid to craft words. You then decide not to write at all. Not anymore.
The thing is this fear of write actually hinders you from doing more important things. You’ve got to express yourself. You need words to say what you think, to share what you learned, to show a part of who you are. Now, you compromise these since you’re afraid to be judged, to not look good, to be wrong. But it’s not about who writes better, dear. At the end of the day, it’s about what you say, what your heart contains, what wisdom you can offer.
The key is to start. Just start.
Stephen King said, “The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better.” If, however, writing directly on the caption box really scares the crap out of you, then use your Notes app, MS Word, or your private blog. It doesn’t have to be good right away. Who cares? You’ll get better at it soon, anyway. The technical stuff? No biggy. Keep aiming to make your message clear, and you’ll eventually get things right.
Sure, writers may be multifold out there, but only you can say it that way. Only you understand it that way. Who knows who’ll need your words today?
Elaine Marie Factor 