I have cited my writer buddy, Keith Jennings, and his Sunday essay, Root Notes, a few times in this blog. Keith is another writer, whom, over the course of time reading his work, I have come to trust. I trust his words. I trust his ideas. I trust his inquires. Why is that so? What makes a writer’s work trustworthy? Today Keith answered that question in his essay. It all goes back to where the writing comes from.
A few days ago in my post Change Through Cookies I described my path of learning to take criticism gracefully and what to do with it once I got it. I have it down when it comes to my book writing critique groups. When my fellow book writers and I are critiquing each others work, there are a certain set of writing faux pas that we are looking for in the strength of the work, similar to checking for spelling errors. After three years, I’m good here.
When it comes to this blog it’s a different story. Reading Keith’s piece today, I understand how I almost became crippled in writing it these last few days as a result of the critiquing in the last blog group meeting. Keith talks about the piece he lost and was glad, because it was actually crap. Friday night I didn’t post until midnight because I felt the handcuffs tightening. I was never really quite comfortable with that post. Still, when I reread it, I feel like there’s something on my shoulder that I’m trying to shake off.
Yesterday I went for a long beach walk, came home and sat on the patio and went back to writing what was on my heart. The handcuffs flew off and the words flowed from deep inside. My “fingers” were, as if I were a gardener, “back in the dirt”.
This blog is a creation of mine. It’s my “gardener’s dirt”. It’s my “Root Note”. And I’ll protect it and not let anyone mess with it again. I vow to you, my dear readers, to always be authentic. I vow to never let stats or marketing enter this secret space of ours. I vow to always let my writing spring, uncensored, straight from the heart to the page.
I thank Keith, my writing buddy, for clearing my vision for this body of work and once again grounding me.
And so, as another day goes by, truth and authenticity bubble to the top once again, and…I, along with Keith, have written.
Check out Keith’s post Embracing Gravity
I always aim to write from the heart but sometimes it doesn’t work as I hope. When I do write what’s totally in there though, the writing flows and it is to those posts that the most comments come.
I totally agree. People know right away whether you’re authentic or not. Keep on writing! I’d love to visit your blog too!
Thank you. You certainly were authentic today! Sometimes the thoughts and words flow and other times they don’t. I wish we could work on spirit time verses kronos time. Such is life in the physical world. Many blessings. 🙂
I so agree! One of my goals in retirement was to change my life through spirit time. Me n God on a lonely road! Thanks for reading and commenting Mary Pat. ☺