Write what gets you excited.
Write about Who you are.
That's what needs to be at the heart of everything you do. If it's not - then no one is going to care if you wrote a clever bit of dialogue. Because people want something *true*, an authenticity that they can feel in your words.
We live in a time when it's a click away to get somewhere else. The question people should always ask themselves is "Why should someone take the time to read what *I* have to say?" You should be leaving bits of yourself on the page, a trail of truths that people can follow back to something that will be more than "that was OK - what's next?"
***
Things on my mind at the moment (in the spirit of "talking about the things that scare us"):
I'm worried about my niece. She's transitioned into "the real world" and doesn't seem to be handling it well. I know that most of us went through a period of trying to figure stuff out, and stumbling around. But hers seems far more pronounced. I've tried reaching out numerous times, but she says she wants to talk about it in person and then cancels every time we're supposed to get together. I hope she does have some good people that she *can* talk to - but I know at least some of them have been giving her some really bad advice.
^ Is part of what I was talking about a few days back about having the "Dad brain". Discovering that I was worrying far more about someone else's future than I was my own. Which, in turn, is also a worry - because am I just assuming that I'm at "where I'm going" and the biggest change to come is eventual death? That's a terrifying notion.
Speaking of death - I went to a funeral on Sunday. Full confession: I didn't really care for the person who died. But she was important to people I *do* care about. She always seemed so "blah". Not really interesting at all.
But listening to the people talking at the service - there just seemed to be so much more. Stuff I had no idea about.
Everyone has those. Every single person you encounter. Everyone you pass. You are a minor player in *their* story as much as they are in yours. That's not only important for writers to remember, it's important for *people*. I had momentarily forgotten. Which is normal. We don't tend to keep that in the front of our thoughts. But that service really brought it home.
I wonder what people are going to say about me? I wonder how many people are actually going to show up?
***
In the worst transition ever - "speaking of showing up" - if you didn't show up last night, here's what you missed:
We have a new member of the 100 Weeks Club: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/967458.html
Week 4 Results: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/967722.html (There will be a Sudden Death Write-Off Tonight!)
There's a new Topic: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/968050.html
and a Work Room: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/968415.html
There's nothing to fear there.
But what IS keeping you up at night?
