Social media seem to create the right environment for expressing myself in writing by motivating me to comment and interact on posts and in private messages; little things develop into larger conversations, and the next thing you know, stuff is written. And there are also people I keep up with regularly, for various reasons, on the networks or via email. As a result of all these efforts to communicate, I hammer a lot of things out in writing. I then often transfer what I have written to a word document, where I work on it further. Sometimes (after editing or altering as necessary to ensure all possible respect for privacy) I may post some of this writing here.
Perhaps someone who is reading this might recognize some of the ideas and even some of the phrases and segments from posts, comment feeds or personal messages they have read from me before on one of the various social media. Please do not worry–all personal details are carefully removed and every discretion is observed. No matter how open I may be about myself, I always take care to preserve the confidences of others.
My desire is to make further and broader use of ideas and experiences that I have expressed in the written word in the initial context of communication. I also hope to rework some of this blog into my next book, and perhaps even beyond. That is how writing develops, at least for me.
It is something that gets pulled out of me. I write because of the sense that other people want it, that it helps them. That is where my motivation comes from. It was people responding to my book that first pulled me out of a shell that I hid in for more than a year (also a change in my medication, and the help of a good priest, and--as always–the effort and encouragement of my steadfast wife).
Now I'm determined to stay out of my shell, and to be there for those who need me. I shall not bury my talent in the ground.
