Social Media... Fear of the Unknown
Image by Kevin King (Pixabay)
I remember how excited I was when I realized I had finally reached the point where I could work from home and seriously write my stories...
I researched quite a bit in those first few months to acclimate myself and "get my feet wet" if you will. I was all but a stranger to social media... I dreaded it. When I gave in to the fact that I must have an online presence to further my career as a writer... It discouraged me.
All I ever wanted to do was write this plethora of adventure in my mind... I soon conceded and approached the dreaded social media experience as if it were a dungeon. I walked down those steps into that dark place and I felt unprepared to deal with the madness. Now,
I had an abundance of things to do (and money to spend) that had nothing in common with narrative, structure, and dialogue, or writing at all! This has been a journey for me. I loathed it. How I grumbled and complained, but I did it. My stories and my dream of writing, I had nurtured since childhood. It was mine. I was nervous about sharing it. It didn’t belong to Facebook or Google and all those people that didn’t exactly support my goals as a writer.
I persevered. I became a student of YouTube and even took some online classes. I learned what, where, when and why... and then I learned how. I am so glad I did! There is no dungeon. It is a wide beautiful world out there!
I went to college to learn what I needed to know for my ‘day job’ but I didn’t approach my writing that way.
I believe I am a better writer for it, more rounded with new concepts, ideas, and maturity. I have a greater skill set today than I did this time last year. You see when I began... I was in the wrong frame of mind.
I scheduled an hour a day to sit with my story. To immerse myself in what I love so I was able to keep the goal in front of me; dangling there like a carrot. Just one more step!
Then came the day I realized I looked forward to and enjoyed my morning time on social media. I made new friends all over the world with new ideas and thought-provoking stories to tell.
What I thought was going to be hell turned out to be a true blessing and as I write this, I thank you all who made my transition easier and even fun. To any of you who have not yet taken the leap... Just do it... but never stop writing.
“Going into the unknown is how you expand what is known.” Julien Smith
'TILL NEXT TIME! Write Every Day!