#Strangebird

~ American Writers Exposed

This world is full of critiquers, category placers, and judgment callers. I am quite active through my blog at Send Sunshine. I cannot tell you how many times I go to the comment section of another blogger, type a lengthy reply and then proceed to delete it.

I would imagine it has to do with the innocent comment I made on the touchy subject of weight. (Keep in mind I have always been a healthy (code word for plump girl.) It was a joke, I assure you, to lighten the mood, but it did not go over well, and I stopped, dropped and rolled like a champion running for cover.

Trying to survive in the land of literary art is a quagmire of love, a tangled devotion, a lifestyle you must dedicate yourself to whole and heartily. You must show up. Be involved in the relationship of crafting everyday words and engage. I give applause to everyone who has stripped naked and stepped out on this pedestal, however written, in front of an endless sea of such assessment.

So what is this babbling word jumble? Well, if you have a moment. Let me tell you…

A blog I frequent recently posted the title “What type of blogger are you?” I read the whole post and all the comments. And I stopped short, each category had different descriptions, etc., but the article was far from complimentary. The negative connotation in each category made my belly roll. As did the reply to a comment, “Let me read your blog, and I will tell you what type of blogger you are.”

Screeching brakes are sounding in the background. Really? No thanks. We don’t need this type of insight. Herein lies my pet peeve in almost all of life.

Do we need another person to define who we are? Do they truly think they know us better than ourselves? I truly dislike it when someone tries to tell me how I’m feeling. Stop. I can tell you what mood I am in. Although my fingers work better than my mouth, I do know how to speak quite fluently. Unless requested, I’m good.

If you are writing a novel, it is imperative that you know for a fact what genre you are not only writing but the audience you are relating. And there is so much advice out there – from great sources — to not-so-great. Many of us are not salaried bloggers, and blogging is an expression, a platform and need not be defined by a fellow peer who feels they are an authority. On what, being condescending? #saveitkindly4yourprofessionallife

I used to laugh out loud when one of my children’s friends would holler good-natured, “You don’t know me. You haven’t lived my life.” I still giggle thinking of the dramatic monologue.

I believe this stems from my general outrage that we as individuals can be so cruel in our characterization of each other. My hair is blonde. I am a female. I am not dumb. But this is what society would feed us, to internalize. Who does this help?

#bemore #celebratelife #beyourownindividual #embraceyou #lovethyneighbor&thylife #weRof1race

Hey bloggers, Write On! Use your artistic license to create you.

There is no need to be placed into a slot of classification or categorization. There are no labels to describe the amazing, distinctive, beautifully unique, thriving, energetic and creative people we are.

#sendsunshine #sunshinesent
I guess I am happily a #strangebird

Image courtesy of google free images
Image courtesy of google free images
Write on! ❤ Jessica

12 thoughts on “#Strangebird”

  1. Thank you for your words of encouragement. So important to be acknowledged for who we are, unique, creative and not one defined in a box.
    I blog mostly for being therapeutic and a release of course not for any money. If no one reads it, or a thousand people read it deep down it does not really matter. But have also found many cool connections through it, which makes it even more rewarding! 🙂

    ~Carl~

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  2. Sorry, I got carried away by the photograph and pushed “publish” before I’d responded to the content of the post. I think part of the problem with blogging, I’m discovering, is that it’s sometimes difficult to tell the tone in which a comment was intended. Something that sounds like gentle ribbing when it comes with a big smile and friendly delivery might come across as mean-spirited and nasty when it’s pared down to just the words themselves. i’m never intentionally rude to people, but I do worry that I might have inadvertently come across that way from time to time.

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      1. You’re right. I use CAPS sometimes myself since I have no other option. I can’t even use italics in comments. I do make liberal use of smiley faces, though, to show that I’m saying something with a kind intent. 😀

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  4. I’m new to wordpress as well. And every time I post, I’m quite frankly worried about the response. I mean to amuse people, not offend. Some people are too touchy to find humor in anything. Thanks for reaffirming that we are free to express ourselves as we see fit (without trying to hurt others). Some may like what we write, many may not. If that is the case, they are free to move on to a blog post of which they approve.

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