It's okay to be seen trying.

say YES to putting yourself out there!

I often find myself reflecting on my “old” life as a business consultant and my “new” life as a writer. Lately, I’ve been wondering why it was once so easy to promote my business, while now I struggle to talk about my books at all. The answer, I think, is simple: my business was just a business. Marketing and branding were formulas I’d mastered. If you do A, you get Z. 1+1=2. Sugar plus food coloring makes Koolaid. Simple rules.

But writing is different.

There are no rules with your creative calling. It’s just you, your brain, and the beautiful craziness it creates.

My work feels so personal that when someone doesn’t like it, it feels like rejection. Rejection of me... of my thoughts... of how I see the world. And because of that, I hide a lot of my work.

This summer though, I did a 2-week workshop at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival. Iowa, by the way, is objectively the number 1 school in the United States for a creative writing MFA.

Snapped this photo walking to my workshop!

So, I was TERRIFIED when I learned my scholarship application was accepted, because I knew my cohort would be made up of “serious writers”. And even though the chapter I submitted for my application was good enough to be accepted, I wasn’t sure it’d be good enough to hold space in the workshop and critique sessions.

One by one, we read and reviewed each other’s work. And I was right, they were serious writers!

There was Tom, who was writing a sharply detailed revenge/action novel. And Judy, who shared, quite literally, the best opening chapter I’ve ever read in all of literature!!! Her story had to do with scandal in a professional ballet academy, and it hooked me in immediately!

There were fantasy novels with incredible world-building, and historical fiction that had been so well researched the language pierced through time and made you feel as if you were riding on that rusty train in 1920s Mississippi.

My “bestie” in the group, Rosemary, was almost done with her novel that covered a world of witches and warlocks that were instrumental in shaping today’s world. In her fiction world, this secret magic academy used their power to free slaves, broker peace deals, and change the minds of world leaders! It was crazy, and cool, and webbed together so well it made me want to read her novel, which would never usually be up my alley!

Imagine! Me wearing this cutie pie skirt on the first day of class — when everyone was dressed in jeans and a t shirt — while reading a romcom?! LOL I felt so out of place.

Then there was me, the girl writing a sweet, cozy, adventure romcom about a grieving woman who decides to break all the rules she set for herself, quit her job, move to a new country and ends up falling in love with a guy she thought was her tour guide.

I was so nervous about sharing my writing that I signed up for the last slot of the week. With shaking hands, I picked up my journal and read my handwritten chapter. When I finished, I scanned the room, hoping someone would say anything. Instead, after a brief moment of silence, there was applause. Real applause!!?? Full of love and appreciation and excitement and adoration for the work I had created?! I still can’t get over it!

The feedback was nothing like I’d expected! They appreciated how I was able to blend simple language and humor to make a dark situation feel light. They identified with my characters because their dialogue was so honest and down to earth. They thought it was such a breath of fresh air to see a romance novel not have pornographic scenes, unnecessary arguments, and cheesy endings.

So here’s what I learned in that room in Iowa: it’s okay to be seen trying. It’s okay to share work that still feels a little tender, unfinished, imperfect, or not on par with everyone else’s work. Because creating isn’t a competition, and visibility isn’t a verdict on your worth or skill!!

When you speak up… when you read the chapter, post the essay, share the post, ask for help, start a new hobby, create a new platform, or whatever else… you don’t just invite critique, you invite connection!! You invite love and support! And you learn much more quickly than you would have in the hiding!

Of course, not everything will earn applause. Some things will be met with silence, some with dislike. But more often than we expect, someone will recognize themselves in what you’ve made and thank you for saying the thing they didn’t know how to say!!

So, stop hiding behind privacy, fear, and old habits, and start choosing to BE SEEN TRYING!! From now on, I’m going to talk about my writing the way I once talked about my business (I hope! Haha!). I don’t expect it to be easy to put myself out there! But it’s what I love and it’s mine… and it deserves to be shared. So does your work!

Remember: the only way your work can find its people is for you to let it be seen.

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Speaking of being seen trying,

I’m going to stop being a scaredy cat and start sharing my ROMANCE writing! So, if you love couples that overcomes hardships, intimate moments that make you cry, and relationships that prove good people are still out there, subscribe to Stories & Scenes!

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