Written Whispers

Mwahaha! I’ve decided to start a meme of my own just because I can. Sort of. It’s actually a writing exercise from this book I’ve been reading and I wanted to share it with the rest of you. Instead of tagging people though I’m just going to leave it open.

Write two lists. The first being about the first ten writing related fears that come to mind. They don’t have to be the ‘top’ ten, just whatever first comes to mind. Then write a list of the first ten joys related to writing that come to mind. Try not to over think as you write the list. You can go back and add notes and reasons later.

Ten of my fears about writing:

1. That my writing will reveal something about me that I won’t like. That somehow it will show me I’m a bad person or that I have serious issues.
2. That when others read my writing they might think some character or another is based off of me and that when something happens to them or they do something not so great that in some way I might be referring to myself.
3. That I might hurt someone with my writing. This is a relatively new fear as I write more and more non fiction.
4. That when I write non fiction somehow I might remember something wrong and unknowingly end up lying.
5. That I will die before I finish this one particular story/series that’s been stuck in my mind for years even though I’m so young right now.
6. That I will always be one of those people who constantly start projects but never finish them.
7. That I will write something very, very wrong or offensive. For example I couldn’t write about a people chopping other people up. It’s just disturbing, but then again, I’ve been known to unknowingly write other just as disturbing things.
8. Hearing someone read my writing aloud or having to read it out loud myself. This is more of a pet peeve. It makes me cringe in a way I can’t even begin to describe. I hate it and it brings out a whole new set of fears that I can only imagine at the time.
9. That I’ll sound boring when I go into stuff such as back story.
10. That someday I’ll get sick of writing or find some other reason to stop, even if it’s for a day. This is not a healthy idea for this little spirit. Trust me on this.

Ten of my joys about writing:

1. The intense pleasure I feel when a new story comes into mind or when I think of a whole new part of an already existing story. The feeling of creation.
2. Writing with my eyes closed. I could make a whole separate post about this. I love to type or scribble with my eyes closed. One usually works better than the other.
3. The rush I get when I’ve finished a small piece of writing, be it chapter or short story. I do wish I felt this more often though. It’s so wonderful.
4. The feeling I get when I finish something and I know it’s really good compared to my other work. I more or less like the feeling of being happy with myself, not precisely the fact that it’s good writing but that I can take pride in what I do now and then. Did that make sense? Let’s hope so, I think I typed myself into a circle.
5. The idea that some of my writing might be helping others. That somehow I’m giving back to everyone else who’s helped me in my own little way and that I am useful.
6. Going on adventures/quests and fighting that last battle in the end or learning that last lesson with my characters. The journeys I take when the pages start to pile up.
7. Getting to do so many things and be so many people. I can be a boy or genderless, I can have wings, or I can imagine what it’s like to be a politician (yeah right). I could live through an explosion or I can experience death and rebirth. I can experience anything.
8. Knowing the thoughts, feelings, and sins of my characters. Haven’t you ever wanted to be able to read someone else’s mind just for the sake of knowing how other think? Wondering what they do in there spare time or the things they’re not so proud of? I have. I love knowing everything about my characters.
9. When I get the courage to show someone my writing and they genuinely love it.
10. The fact that I had more trouble filling out my fears list rather than my joys list and given the time and the numbers I could easily write another fifty some joys.

Your turn. Leave a comment if you do this please, just because I’m curious. You don’t have to but it’s appreciate.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 4th, 2008 at 2:14 pm and is filed under Memes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.