First, I just wanted to tell everyone the winner for the giveaway that I put out on Thursday. Thank you all for stopping by and entering, and thanks to all the readers who came by to read my vacation posts. The winner of the drawing was Paul C. I will be sending him the package of goodies this week!
I am posting my video early this week, since for those in the U.S., Independence Day is soon upon us, and this message is definitely independence oriented. It’s about writer’s and bloggers seeking independence to find their unique voice. I hope you like it, and as usual, you will find the text summary for this under the video if you prefer to take it in that way.
When a country or entity seeks independence, they typically do so because another country or entity has demanded that they follow a set of laws, morals or abide by certain ideas. Departure from these laws usually effects great punishment. So, essentially, a country who is under the rule of another country is under oppression.
Now think about independence for yourself, you as an individual, and you as specifically, as a writer. What types of rules, ideas or standards are you under that is oppressing your unique voice? It may be ideas you learned at school, or college, it could be expectations that someone else wants from you, or it could even be from a religion, situation or a set of fears that you are in or that you have. If in your heart, you do not agree with these rules, then this is oppression, and it has the potential to squelch your writer’s voice.
My encouragement for you is to seek independence for your writer’s voice. But I also want to warn you that if you do this, you are certain to face pressure. If a country or entity seeks independence, they typically undergo a time of extreme pressure, hardship and war. I hope that you seek independence for your writer’s voice in a peaceful way, and simply by writing, but regardless, you are still going to go through some pressure for this.
But don’t worry–in fact–be glad! This pressure is a sign that you are working toward your goal of coming out from under the oppression and into independence for your voice.
Through this blog, I have experienced some of this, though not unbearably so (yet). But I just keep writing along because I like it. I’m passionate about it, and I feel I must! Have you had to endure any of this pressure as you “came into” your writer’s voice? Or, are you still seeking your writer’s voice, and thinking that maybe you WILL have to go through some of this pressure to get there? What have your experiences been as you’ve developed your writing voice?
