A few days ago a women wrote to me and said that she wants to contribute by writing articles. She also said that she was afraid of how people would react to her writing.



I believe that this is something that all writers think about to a certain extent. This thought came to me as well earlier in my carrier as a spiritual writer, but it never stayed for very long. From the beginning I knew that I would write for myself only. My articles and books are thoughts that need to come out. Like any artist or painter there is something in me that needs to be expressed'so very selfishly I write for myself.

It is my way of learning, of understanding the thoughts that are coming and going in my mind. When they are expressed physically, they slow down, and land on the blank paper or computer screen in front of me. I am constantly amazed at both the immaturity and maturity of my writing. Some of it is the egos, and some of it just comes through me. I don't lay claim to very much of it, and prefer to think of myself as a medium for spiritual expression.

There are many people who think as I do or are on a nearby path that receive benefit from what I have to say. I encourage and support all those who wish to write. There are those that I have featured on my web site or have written about. They have blossomed into magnificent writers, and share their thoughts frequently with the world.

Fear is a major factor that holds people back from at least trying to write. There are simple techniques that work very well when one begins to draw out his/her hidden treasures. I believe that the one greatest asset in writing your thoughts is to just do it your way. You are unique, and you have a very special way of writing that others will appreciate, and will be able to follow.

Critics of your writing are your best tool for judging how you are relating to others. But they are not to be taken very seriously. You must develop a style of your own?otherwise you are just another writer. The ?Nah-Sayers? are a blessing in disguise and you can use them to improve your writing skills.

Understand that anyone that is negative about your writing and demonstrates this negativity in writing or in public is doing so for attention?theirs, not yours. However in the quest to be recognized as a critic they are giving recognition to you. I believe that one of the worst things that can happen to any human?writer or not'is not to be recognized. It is the most hurtful thing that can happen to another human being. Life needs to be recognized.

I also think that for a writer, continuous praise for your work is not beneficial. In fact I enjoy constructive criticism, and the farther away I am from the thinking of others, the more I like it. I do not look behind me for followers, and my writing is never about giving answers, but to invoke critical thought, and new possibilities.

The ?Nah-Sayers? are beneficial to me in that they give me recognition and bring others to me, but they also allow me to gauge myself. If they are not in the same area of awareness and enlightenment as me, then I know I have moved on. I have accomplished what I am trying to do?not to be like others. I have left a clear path behind me that some will follow?not for me, but for themselves.

Anyone can follow the status quo and just be. Those that stay behind and criticize are not moving. They have found themselves in a box with no escape. They are not spending quality time trying to develop themselves, and become unique individuals. They are not carving out their own paths, but are following the paths of others, and trying to close it behind them.

When you write?write for yourself first because it is in you, and it needs to come out. Never worry about spelling, grammar, and punctuation?these things can be changed later?just write. Never worry about critics or the ?Nah-Sayers??welcome them?use them and their energy to push yourself even further along your path. People are always looking for new leaders, new ways of thinking, and new paths to follow.

A critic or ?Nah-Sayer? has no power'it is you that brings them to you, through your power, your work. They are negative energy and you are positive. They cannot exist without you. You do not have to look for them, they will always come to you, and without you they would not be. If you want to be like all the others, then conform to their criticism, if not, use them to gauge how far removed you are from their thinking, and recognize the gift they have brought you.

If you find yourself looking for your critics or reading their writing, then your have missed their purpose and your own. You are not spending enough time developing your style and you are a follower.

If you find solace in revenge then know that your success will piss them off, and invalidate everything that they have written about you. Never respond to a critic, because you then have become one of them. Remember they are from the dark side, and you are the light that will lead them away from their darkness.

If you are lucky enough to have critics?you are alive?and you are moving in the right direction! Write?not to change anyone's world, but your own. Those that agree with you will follow and those that don't'well, does it really matter?

If you are lucky enough to run into one of your critics, run to him, squeeze his little cheeks, kiss him on the forehead?then move on!