Writing personal essays can invigorate someone like me. I’m a person who loves to share and wears my heart on my sleeve. But revealing everything about my life can have its setbacks, and yet, I love how it allows me to project my most authentic self.
Many readers might feel I offer too much information (T.M.I.) and swear they could never do it themselves. I understand, but let’s just happily say it works for me. And hopefully, through my sharing, my stories enlighten, educate, and inspire.
I write about my “messy” life, lazy cat, and comical spouse. But, some of you may ask, what about your children, and don’t you have grandchildren? Why do you rarely talk about them?
Well, isn’t it obvious? Unfortunately, the apple DOES fall far from the tree concerning disclosure. My kids are private people who prefer their lives to stay off-limits, so I tread lightly. I get away with adding a story about them or their offspring now and then, but only with their approval.
So, what does this author do to keep the writing train rolling? I must never run out of content, so to avoid it, I write fiction. You’d think that with my fictional characters, anything goes.
Well, not so fast. It sounds about right, but it’s not entirely true.
Often, I’m not at liberty to let them say or do everything without constraints. This isn’t easy because my characters don’t take kindly to instructions. Instead, they blossom from my imagination and act out on their own. So, it’s up to me to pull back on the reins.
In my fictional series on Medium, it’s exhilarating to share Raven’s adventure. But, it begs the question, how much excitement can I give her? How much of her life — or should I say, sex life — can I share?
If you’re following chapter by chapter at the Daily Cuppa, in Chapter Twenty-eight, Raven enters a barn with Tyler and in one swift sentence, “Raven snuggled in close as the two professed their love for each other.” That’s all I said, but that’s not all that happened. So, why didn’t I say more?
It all boils down to guessing what your audience wants to read.
The Daily Cuppa is an outstanding publication. This is the place to go to relax, chill, grab a cup of coffee and read an assortment of short stories that are light and family-friendly. Katie, the editor and I decided that my original chapter revealing Raven and Tyler’s union was too erotic. I’m no E. L. James, but it may have been too much information.
I can’t wait for the series to become a published book, where I’m hoping Raven, Tyler, and all the other characters can share their full adventures in living colour. There’s not much I won’t share in my life, so I don’t hold back, nor will my characters.
It’s time to take a peek into what I’ve been up to this past month.
As many of you know, I love prompts, and this August, a publisher created a doozy of an idea. That’s to write about our life in six-word chapters. Here’s mine, along with a couple of short forms.
I felt like drinking a cup of coffee yesterday
When I first moved into our condo.
I want to thank everyone for joining me each month. I cherish our time together.
See you next month.
I hope readers will also read this comment along with my newsletter. When I list my Medium stories, I usually send them using a friends' link so everyone can read them without limitation, but sadly, this time I forgot. I'm not sure I can change it so I wanted to acknowledge the mistake and hope everyone can read them all in time.
Looking forward to many more articles. Love them!!