Some of what you write may be for public consumption while some may not be.
My blogs and my novels are not just for me. They are meant to be shared with a broader audience in the world at large.
Whether I am exploring a sci-fi, fantasy, Steampunk, or another fantastic world – or – writing about mindfulness, conscious reality creation, positivity and the like, it is something of a two-way street.
I tell the fictional tales because they are the kind of thing I like to read (and since they tend to unfold in my head like a film, similar to the movies I like to watch). When I am blogging about self-help, self-improvement, and general humanistic practices, it is in part exploring my own experiences and sharing them to help others do the same.
In all cases, this is a matter of expansion. Expansion of ideas whether fictional or realistic. Spreading out creativity, inspiration, and exploring a larger world.
Hence why all such work on my part is public. This is stuff I need and want to share.
But not all my work is for you or anyone else to see. That, too, applies to fiction and non-fiction.
Not in the public eye
When I have worked on The Source Chronicles, part of the story got its name from the glossary I initially created for myself. I called it “The Source” because I needed it to keep track of all the characters, places, and other ideas that have made up the series.
I created a similar glossary for The Vapor Rogues and shared it at the end of Clouds of Authority. However, there is a LOT of additional info I created for that Steampunk world I imagined that I did not share.
For The Void Incursion series – which, FYI, is coming out on May 8th – I created another glossary. But I did not share it in Book One – Opening Gambit. I felt that it was unnecessary this time and that instead, it serves me more than for my readers to have it.
Why? Honestly, it could be confusing. Sure, there are some odd character names I have created here – but – putting them in a glossary has a greater potential to be a spoiler than anything else.
What about non-fiction? Sometimes I journal about things that I feel no need to share with anyone else. Why? Because they are personal, and I need to pull them out of my head as a form of therapy. However, nobody but me needs to read them.
I do not journal as frequently as I should. This matters because journaling is a super-healthy way to deal with whatever life throws at you.
Journaling to fight depression and other negativity
As I am writing this, like the vast majority of people across the nation (and increasingly across the globe), I am maintaining social distancing. To lessen the spread of Covid-19, I am working from home entirely and minimizing any and all social interaction.
I am not in a locked-down quarantine situation. Though I did have an initial concern about exposure, the time has passed for that and I am still completely healthy.
For some, social distancing is par for the course. But for many, this is just one more aspect of an unexpected, unusual, unpredictable situation. This is scary, distressing, and causing a lot of people anxiety, depression, and other unfortunate negative emotions.
If you are having difficulties currently, journaling could be a way to deal with that. Writing in a journal and expressing all that is going on in your head could both be copacetic and a source of clarity. It could provide you with some insight about your own headspace/mindset, and help you find balance if you are currently lacking in balance.
Journaling can also give you an outlet in uncertain times with no judgment. Your thoughts, on the page or screen, for you alone to see.
It is okay to be private
We live in a world of tremendous interconnectivity. That has had a nasty side-effect. People are too public. Privacy lacks.
However, in many cases, this is a self-fulfilled prophecy. When you always answer your phone and don’t turn it off or put it down, check-in to wherever you are, or Tweet about everything going on, you aren’t being private. Do I really need to know what you are having for dinner and where?
Privacy, as such, has become a scarce commodity. Yet you are completely entitled to it.
This applies to our writing or other arts as well.
Not every painting is meant to be shared. Nor every sculpture. Some music may be too personal to be heard by anyone other than you, it’s creator. And that is okay.
You have every right to keep things to yourself as you see fit. You owe the world nothing.
Sorry, but it’s the truth. While I do share a great deal of what I write, there are things I don’t share. Nor should I. And that’s probably for the better.
Everyone has aspects of themselves that they keep to themselves. That’s a normal, human thing to do. You owe nothing to anyone, save yourself.
So long as you do what you can to be the best you that you can be, and work to be genuine both with yourself and others, public or private does not matter.
Some of your art may be for public consumption – while some may not be. Whatever the case, do what you love and be an awesome creator.
Thank you for taking part in my ongoing journey. Thank you for joining me, and for inspiring me and my art.
This is the fifty-second article exploring the creative process. Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published works, which can be found here.
Feel free to explore the rest of the website, which I am working to evolve and change for the better…much like I am doing for myself. Also, visit Awareness for Everyone to check out my weekly podcasts.
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