Read The World

Hi there.

It's been a year since I started this blog, and I've read a lot of books since. But as you may notice, I've only posted about... 3, maybe 4, blog entries? And I pretty much abandoned it last September. 

But now I'm back.

I started reflecting on what had happened, why I had left it behind. Why, when I read a book, I thought of the post I could write of it, but never actually did. I know it's normal to start a project and forget about it –it happens to us all– but I felt this was something more, something different, keeping me from coming back here.

And I realized it was fear of writing. 

Just like every time I have to write an essay, I freeze before a blank screen. And when I do write something, I read it and reread it, questioning it a thousand times. Is it good enough? Is it just rubbish? Writing for English or Spanish class is bad enough, knowing a grade depends on it, but making a blog entry was something else entirely. There was a chance people would read it, and that made me even more self-conscious of anything I put out there. What if I'm saying something stupid? What if I'll cringe later when I read it? What if people disagree with my opinion of a book, or I got it all wrong? What if my writing style is incomprehensible?

But no more! I've been reflecting lately and got to the conclusion that the only way of improving, or at least feeling more comfortable, is just going ahead and doing it. Practice makes progress. I've got to face my fear of writing, and if it's mostly rubbish, then so be it. I recently read a quote that was what made me decide this:

"Write like nobody is watching, cause no one is"

This is meant to apply to writing a novel, a story, or poetry for oneself. I know it's not exactly the same as writing for a small book blog in a corner of the internet. But nevertheless, it's the perspective I want to take from now on to actually get me to write. Even now, as I'm writing this, my finger hovers over the publish button, unsure. But I will do this!

If any of you out there face the same problem, tell me if you got any tips! And I hope you can overcome your fears too.