A Little Scary....

"Writing puts me out there. It's a little exciting. It's a little scary."

I received some really great responses to last Tuesday's writing prompt. Remember, students, whether you agree or disagree with a statement is not the issue. I just want you to be able to communicate your thoughts through the written word. Personally, I loved this quote. I know exactly what this person was feeling.

As a senior in high school, I had to write a dozen essay papers. My teacher assigned topics that, indeed, put my classmates and me "out there." It was exciting to realize that I did have strong opinions on certain subjects, and it was challenging to try to express myself on paper. I didn't really think of writing as being scary. I just knew I loved it!

Fast forward to the year 2000 when my first book was published. Baby Boot Camp is a collection of devotionals for new moms, and you wouldn't think there would be anything scary about that, would you? But when I held a hot-off-the-press copy for the first time and I began flipping through it, I got scared! All these thoughts started racing through my mind: Oh my goodness! Did I really say that? I can't believe that's in there...I can't believe I am sharing this much of myself! To me, that is the scariest part of writing: surrendering your thoughts and feelings with abandon, crafting a piece of your heart to give away, knowing once it's out there, so are you. Like skydiving, once you're out of the plane, there is no going back.

Exciting? Yes!
Scary? Yes!
Worth it? YES!

I am having a great time teaching you guys. Now--go work on your papers!