Several years ago someone told me that I would only grow as a writer when everything I wrote stopped reading like a self-promoting Facebook post.
Yikes.
That stung. (And that wasn’t the worse thing said about me in this letter.)
But also, maybe this person didn’t realize that self-promotion is kinda the whole point of social media, isn’t it?
I know it’s not all like that, and it’s not how I spend most of my time on social media. I’m not usually promoting myself, but I am there to connect with family and friends, and peek into the lives of others who are there promoting themselves or teaching me something. I don’t have anything to promote at the moment.
But are my blogs like that? Yes, I will admit that much of my writing does read like that. But again, I’m not here necessarily to grow as a writer. I’m here to express the thoughts that are going through my mind and the feelings in my heart.
Do I want to grow as a writer? I do, so as much as I hate to give this person any credit for being right….
As I write this it’s Sunday afternoon and I’m sitting on my couch, listening to Ed Sheeran on my record player, and his song Graffiti just started and somehow it seems appropriate. Sometimes graffiti can be beautiful, rebellious, or educational. I’m going to look at this criticism as educational graffiti. I’m going to take it in, appreciate it, look for the lesson, and move on.
So I’m going to get up, turn the record over, pat myself on the back, and do a little dancing in my living room. Because it’s looking like I want it to look. It feels comfortable and warm, and it’s all been selected and approved by me. Still missing a little more personality on the wall, but it’s home. Is that self-promotional?