The Love of Writing and Writing Authentically From the Heart

For those of us who love writing, it is almost inevitable that our writing styles and sincerity change over time.

At earlier points in my life, I tended to be a far more ”utilitarian” writer than I am today.

At least in public.

When alone, and writing in my personal journals, I was always writing from the heart.

Writing from the heart when you are ”in public” is a great challenge for most writers, and even just for people who are casually blogging about their lives. Heart-writing demands a sort of raw authenticity that is typically not taught in schools, nor in University creative writing courses.

People tend to think that ”laying it all out there” is about radical creativity, but it is actually more about authenticity.

Why are we so hesitant?

After all, most of us really enjoy reading stories and articles that truly touch some part of us, making us feel like we were almost there, sharing in the writer's experience.

Likely, we hesitate because we are anxious about allowing the greater world to truly see why we are, complete with all our fears, worries, anxieties, faults, biases, insecurities and foibles.

”But what will people THINK of me?”

That seems to be the specter that haunts so many of us. We are so worried about being seen for our authentic selves that we end up portraying artificially constructed versions of ourselves to the outside world.

Ironically, we often don’t even allow our innermost selves to be seen even by our partners; spouses; lovers; closest family. We keep it private, locked away in a strongbox nobody can break into.

I initially learned Writing From the Heart as a therapeutic practice, at a time in my life when the Black Dog of depression was often sleeping in front of my door. The impetus was the realization that you can’t truly heal something unless you thoroughly identify the ”something” that is in need of being healed.

And so, you just start writing, letting all the insecurities, beauty, anger, sadness, euphoria, dreams, wishes and rage blend together in a beautiful tapestry of what is really inside you.

Many moons ago, my friend Diana — a psychotherapist — asked the simple question: ”Wouldn’t you rather be loved for who you REALLY ARE, than for a false image you present to the world?”

Of course, the answer is typically a yes, but with exposing yourself in such an emotionally intimate way, you also run the risk of someone not liking and even rejecting what you are sharing with them. Hence, we share a façade instead, knowing — even if only subconsciously — that if we are rejected, it was only ”who we were PRETENDING to be” that got rejected, but not our authentic (and hidden) heart.

Alas, the vast majority of the world wanders through life in a state of complete (or partial) unawareness that they are wearing a ”mask” of sorts. And they wonder, as they wander, why it often feels like something is missing; not quite right.

For some, it’s just not that important to know. And that’s OK. I can respect that, for what it represents.

For a few of us, it simply won't do to only linger on the surface. We want to do the ”deep dives” into not only our own souls, but also the souls of the few like-kind individuals we encounter out there.

And those few relationships are well worth the "price of admission!"

Thanks for reading, and have a great remainder of your weekend!

How about you? Are you able to fully "reveal" yourself? Or do you keep part of yourself hidden from view? Can you "write from the heart," or does that sound scary? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2024.03.10 00:38 PST
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