Is it scary to have your personal essays published?
Introducing my new advice column, Ask Alexis!
Hello! Welcome to issue #1 of Ask Alexis—a new monthly Q&A column where I answer your questions in detail. Whether you're looking for real advice, a new perspective, or an absurd answer to a silly question, nothing is off limits here! Submit your questions here. Let’s have some fun! Note: You must be a newsletter subscriber to pick my brain. It’s 100% free! (For now.)
Ask Alexis - Issue #1
“I’m also considering writing a personal essay—well, more of a performed essay for this live storytelling show. I have the perfect topic in response to their call for pitches, but I’m just not sure I can do it—it feels too vulnerable. Your pieces about your mom are so moving and personal. Do you feel like it is scary to share them with the world, or does it not feel that way? I am struggling to decide if I’m scared and that means I should do it (growth moment), or if my fears are justified and I should just hold off.”
— Lindsey Smith from Not Normal
I felt ecstatic and scared shitless when HuffPost accepted my essay about tricking my mom into assisted living. Someone actually wants to publish my work, and it’s HuffPost???, I thought. But also, fuuuuuccccckkkk. I was freaking out.
OMG, this means my story will be out there in the world.
What if my family hates me for publishing it?
What if my friends think there’s something wrong with me?
What if I regret it and want to crawl into a hole and never come out again?
What if my professional network thinks I’m crazy?
What if my writing sucks?
I’m not a writer, I’m a fraud!
Lots of impostor syndrome was at play. Most of my fear came from being seen (like really seen) in a vulnerable state, not from actual danger.
To read the rest of this post, please consider upgrading. It costs less than a cappuccino in most cities and will help me reach my dream of becoming a partially retired middle-aged blogger lady by 55.
Thanks so much for supporting my work. It means a lot to me.
