On the difficulty of writing an article

TL;DR --> We expose ourselves when we write, and it's kinda hard, but you will do it very well.

Being observed by the whole planet is not easy.

When I write, I try to do it from my own experience. I draw from what I know and try to sort ideas so that they concatenate into a somewhat interesting read. Hopefully what I end up conveying is the same that I set out to, but sometimes it changes so much that in the end it might very well be that it does not resemble what I tried to say at all.

It's difficult, because it feels like a one sided conversation with your screen, your mind taking over the part of the second part and, well, you end up having a conversation with yourself.

You might discover things you never knew, you might end up contradicting yourself, but above all, you might end up thinking "oh, I'm not going to write that because of what 'they' will think".

Many of us will feel compelled to comply to what "they" think in such a strict way that we'll end up letting it all affect your writing process!

Who's "They", though? Glad you ask. It might be tempting to define "They" as society in general, thanks to freedom of speech (availability subject to where you reside), that shouldn't be the case.

"They" are immaterial, a set of unreal versions of those around you skewed by what you think "They" will judge you for in your writing. At least most of the time. At least in some cases.

This very article was difficult to write because of this "They", so you will have to take my word for it, you will do just fine!

"They" will always have something to say, so why should it matter?

A personal process where you bare your thoughts

See, when you choose to share what you think with the world, you should know that you are revealing not only your thoughts but also your ideas, which also means that you will have people with opposing views. "They" will also judge each and every word to fynd a typo and throw it back to you as if it was more important than the idea you were trying to convey.

Relax!

This should not stop you from trying to convey an idea.

Writing it's not that different than a conversation, it can be with friends or with strangers, on just about any subject. But when you choose to write something, you gain the added benefit of time. Take your time, choose wisely your words, carefully craft your ideas and let the whole thing sit for a while then revise it. (I started writing this article in 2016, there's been lots of changes and corrections).

There's no need to be thinking on how your piece will be judged, maybe you are more talented than you knew?

Write for yourself first, try to convey yourself the idea in a way that makes sense to you, then find a way to make it relatable to others too. Forget about "They" and think more about "an audience".

Do not impose yourself, let others speak too

See the risk of sharing an idea in a way that it becomes this conversation between yourself and you is that you might end up trying to get others into "your bandwagon". 

Love an idea, yes, but don't get it locked.

Writing is an exercise where you understand that you are sharing an opinion and there will be other opinions out there, maybe as well versed as yours.

In the digital age writing is a conversation with the world, "an audience" of people interested in what you are saying; all of which means that you'll inspect closer what you write before you publish it, as ideas like to be polished, but also that it will grow and ideas will emerge, some old and some new, but in the end this is what writing is all about.

You'll be tempted to engage with "trolls" and try to prove them wrong. Don't! Participate in what it's important and where you can have a conversation and simply ignore the rest (unless it's something that somehow affects you or others, then report it).

Forget the rest, do your best

Each one has their own writing style, they forged it over time and little by little became better at it. Hey, this is my third article here but my 600th anywhere else! And yet I still think there's a lot of room for improvement, but I don't beat myself over it and you shouldn't too.

It takes time to develop a "voice" that you are comfortable with but that also allows you a range of expression that colourfully depicts what you are trying to say. Some of us have a way of speaking that translates directly into writing and it works, some of us don't ;) And that's OK too. 

Diversity is what makes this kinds of conversations intriguing and amazing at the same time.

Use the proper channels

Do you want to share a poetry piece you wrote? You rock! Go ahead, publish it, but do so in the proper forum for it, where it will receive critique and acclamation from people that expect a poem. You have something to say about Football, Baseball or Soccer? Cool! Let's hear it, but put it where it makes sense, where you will engage with others and get the best experience out of it.

When I tried to write about this I made a conscious choice on the forum where I would share my ideas. Maybe you want to say something but you are afraid to raise your hand, maybe you are beginning but can't seem to find a moment to put your ideas in order, maybe you just needed a person to say something that might help you take the plunge and share your ideas too. Maybe you already wrote a few articles here and you read this and think of other cool ways to improve on my ideas too.

It's hard but it's not that hard

Finally, after careful research and consideration, after proof writing every bit of your article, deciding on what's the flow of ideas going to be like and how to properly convey to a point that you wish to make, you feel the satisfaction of being able to do so in a proper manner that suits your voice through the right channel... Now sleep on it.

Don't decide that it's done yet. Let it sit a bit, and read it once more the next morning, the next week or whenever you feel like it. Remember, you have time on your side.

Once you do, maybe you'll realise something needs more emphasis, or not, and maybe restructure the whole thing or even rewrite it all over again. Do so. Iteration is good for ideas!

The next inspiring article is waiting for you to write it, come on and join us :)