Writer's Block

Funny title.  Especially since my mind never, ever stops thinking and, therefore, I should have an endless list of things to write about. 

I guess I probably do have things I want to write about.  Real things.  True things.  Ouchie, painful things.  Funny things.  Sarcastic things.  

And I love to write.  A lot.  I can sit down and start typing (thank you, Mr. Halse, for teaching me this skill) and suddenly realize that 2 or 3 hours have gone by.  Writing is truly cathartic for me.  It also helps make sense of the jumbled up chaos that exists in my brain.  Once I put something down on paper, at least theoretically speaking, there is a certain clarity that follows.  As a ridiculous overthinker, this is a good thing for me.

I suppose a downside of writing is that the writer cannot always ensure that the reader understands the words that are written.  Interpretation is a tricky thing.  So is a misinterpretation.   

Often times in the editing process, I reread a sentence or a paragraph over and over, trying to be sure that what I'm saying is clear.  I want my feelings or opinion or perspective to be almost palpable to the person reading.  I want a reader to "hear" my voice in my writing.

Now here's where I'm struggling.....

Just how honest or transparent should I be when I write? 

 I censor myself.  I downplay the real feelings I feel. I include only portions of the true story (probably to protect people who don't deserve protection).  I make light of serious things.  I water it all down. Dilute it to a more palatable level.  

Hmmm.  That's not very honest.  Or real.  

Maybe it's time to get over this self-imposed writer's block and tell a few new stories.  Uncensored stories are usually pretty great to read.  I think it was Hemingway who said, "There is nothing to writing.  All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed."

Go back and look at the comments in my previous post.  

And then grab some gauze and the bandaids when you come back.