Facing those (writing) fears...

By popular vote (imploring of 2 friends), I have decided to keep the name. Whether I like it or not, it's me, and I still think it's catchy. But I have written a mission statement, which is different than the former mission statement of making this blog all about food and God. As much as my faith is important to me, trying to write about food and faith just isn't where I am anymore. Over the past two weeks, I've sat down so many times getting ready to write about what God's doing in my foodie life, and nothing came...so I promise to write in a way that is truly me, even if it means people don't agree, or don't like that I'm changing around the blog.

I don't see myself as selling out, just being true to myself...on that note, back to the reason for the blog, FOOD!

The past few weeks have provided SO many opportunities to write on a daily basis, and I'm sorry that I haven't. I don't know why I haven't...well if we're being honest here, yes I do...I worry that my food blog won't be good...."good" meaning entertaining, inspiring, encouraging, and above all, packed with foodstuff and stories that make people go "wow". I'm afraid that I'm not a good writer. I'm afraid I'm boring. I'm afraid people will read it and go, "Wow it's too bad she's not funnier/smarter/ (insert adjective here) in her writing". I'm afraid people will think because I'm an English major, I'm this awesome, intellectual, funny, witty writer. I'm afraid that it will be too much about my life and not as much about food. I'm afraid that my fears of what people think of me will take over, and I'll write with a certain person in mind (ie daily blogger who has the LIFE!) and I won't measure up...

So, I'm writing all those fears down, and publishing them on here, and putting them to rest. They're gone. Dead. Buried.

When I was at Palm Beach Atlantic University in FL (2005), before I transferred out, I took a great Creative Writing for Publication class. In the class we had to get serious about our writing, and actually send out submissions to literary reviews and magazines to try to get published. David Athey (phenomenal teacher) had us do this exercise where we took all of our rejection letters, passed them around the room, reading the responses as a group, then we all walked to the middle of the room and each threw a stack up into the air!!! It was so exhilirating and refreshing, and made us realize they didn't matter. What MATTERED, was that we get over the rejection and get writing again. Essentially, to let them fly out of our hands and out of our minds. And it worked. Soon, we were writing again and reading our words out loud, and sending out other batches of submissions. Some students were published; I'm still tossing up those rejection letters...

but it doesn't mean I'm going to quit writing. I love food, and I love writing. So I'm just going to stay true to myself and write about what I love. Eventually, I'll find my groove and my fears will disappear. They're still lingering, but the best way to get over those fears is to face them down.

Determined,
Shannon