A Reason To Share Your Writing That No One Talks About
My #1 motivation for sharing my writing
There are many reasons people share their writing. We write to have a conversation, to connect with others, to share a message or belief, to process our life events, and tell stories.
All of these reasons are worthwhile and additionally, I hope to find community and connection through writing. But there’s another major reason why I want to share my writing publicly that I don’t see talked about as much.
Like many of us, I wasn’t encouraged to speak up much or share my perspective when I was younger. Being raised by a single mother, I helped her take care of my two little brothers and was the go-to babysitter, errand runner, and caretaker. Our household was chaotic and I did my part to calm the storm. In school, I was always a little bit shy and full of self-doubt when it came to speaking my mind. I was an observer in most situations, taking the safe route of being seen and not heard.
Despite that, something that always stuck out was that I loved to read, write, and communicate with others one on one and in small groups. Speaking publicly to large audiences, on the other hand, much like publishing writing, always intimidated me and I avoided it. But I realized something recently that changed my mind.
Do I need someone to continue to convince me to hide my thoughts and ideas? No. So why would I continue doing that to myself?
I realized that as an adult, I’m responsible for being the person my younger self needed, right? And what I needed most was for someone to encourage me to express myself, to write, to share my perspective and writing with others. Do I need someone to continue to convince me to hide my thoughts and ideas? No. So why would I continue doing that to myself?
When you share your writing with others, you send a subconscious message to yourself that your voice matters and is valuable. And that’s empowering as hell. This is my #1 motivator to publish my writing.
When you share your writing publicly, you liberate your voice and send a powerful message to yourself. If self-expression has been challenging for you along the way, this can be an act of self-love and a powerful healing modality.
Thank you for reading — Any comments or feedback is greatly appreciated.
My name is Lauren Michaels — I publish articles weekly, sharing bits and pieces of my life and thoughts. If you’d like to support me and get access to all articles on Medium, Become a Member — a portion of your sign-up fee will go to me at no extra charge to you. You can also support me by checking out my other articles below.
