Fear of Writing

Where does the path lead?

My New York Grandpa was a great writer.  We used to ask him why he didn’t publish his work and he’d always say there’s already enough bad books in the world.

My Deerfield Grandpa kept a diary of what he did at work each day and what he ate at each meal.  He was a faithful writer.

Sometimes writing is just the scariest thing, especially when you are throwing it out there in a blog.  I don’t know exactly where I lie between my Deerfield Grandpa, the faithful but boring writer, and my New York Grandpa, the great writer who thought he wasn’t very good.  I just know I have to write.

When you write, you lay out a line of words.  The line of words is a miner’s pick, a wood-carver’s gouge, a surgeon’s probe.  You yield it, and it digs a path you follow.  Soon you find yourself deep in new territory.  Is it a dead end, or have you located the real subject?. . . You make the path boldly and follow it fearfully.  You go where the path leads.  At the end of the path, you find a box canyon.  You hammer out reports, dispatch bulletins. ~ Annie Dillard

So writing IS scary, but exhilarating too.  I’ll just keep being faithful in the small things and we’ll see where it all leads.