The post on Tuesday was one of the more difficult pieces for me to write and publish. I wrote and re-wrote it numerous times before hitting publish. Then, Wednesday morning, I edited it and republished. I have thought about the difficulty, wondering why there was a struggle.
I believe it was hard because I was trying to find the words to adequately express my love for The Boyfriend. I felt inadequate as a writer, attempting to capture the essence of my feelings for this man.
Additionally, it took courage to admit (even though it was not explicit, but more implied) I love him. It felt like new territory for me. In the two years I have been writing here, I have yet to say I was in love with anyone I dated. The one person I was in love with when I was writing was a train wreck of a relationship, coming to a conclusion months after I started Naked Girl in a Dress.
Thinking about the struggle to publish my feelings reminded me of other posts I found it difficult to share. There are various reasons for the hesitation to publish, which I share with the links below.
Life is Unpredictable– This was my first post, which was published at a very difficult time in the above-mentioned train wreck relationship. I felt nauseous after hitting publish on many more posts in the beginning, but this was the most stressful one.
Hope That a True and Lasting Love Exists– I was so raw emotionally, crying as I wrote this piece in one sitting. I felt exposed, but was so happy for the warm, encouraging reception.
10 Tips to Help Men Improve Online Dating Profiles-I don’t write about my sex life or anything salacious so this piece pushed me out of my comfort zone. With ‘sexual fetishes,’ ‘cougar,’ ‘online dating sites,’ and of course ‘naked girl’ in the post, this blog was discovered based on some interesting keyword searches after this one published.
After Seven Years I Finally Own This– The difficulty with this post was based upon a struggle I had to finally admitting I should never eat gluten again. Even after the severe reaction, I still had a brief fling with denial. Admitting to myself and writing about it was difficult.
Dusting off these posts to share has been a great exercise as a writer. I hope you enjoy reading these.
If you are a blogger, share in the comment section a link to the most difficult post for you to publish.
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For Song of the Week this week, I am sharing a Coldplay song. The Boyfriend and I are going on a road trip this weekend to a small southern town. Knowing our similar taste in music, I am sure Coldplay will be playing during our car ride this weekend. Enjoy “Speed of Sound.” It is one of my favorite songs.
httpv://youtu.be/VfHiIgO19Ms
Happy Friday!
This was my most difficult because of the incredible guilt I felt at putting a puppy down. Surprisingly, it’s my most-read piece.
This post is so good, I’m willing to overlook the Coldplay.
It’s weird, I’ve never worried about my personal posts. Since my wife and kids look over my shoulder 90 % of the time I write, I’m not concerned with reaction. It’s established I’m weird, complicated and nuts.
My fiction? I freak out. I assume it all sucks and someone will hate it with a white hot passion.
So glad my Coldplay listening will not affect our friendship!
I wrote this after coming clean about my feelings for a close friend of mine.
This post was probably the hardest though.. I wrote it for “To Write Love On Her Arms” day and deals with a time I had some very dark thoughts. One of the rare ones that I bawled while writing.
My most difficult piece was Daddy’s Little Girl. It was about my daughter leaving to go to Prom for the first time. I don’t know why it was so hard, but I really struggled with it and I had a lump in my throat the whole time.
Thank you for your honesty, and for sharing your struggle. I think it is often so hard to admit our love for another, particularly when we really, really mean it.
Your writing is simply stunning.
The hardest post for me was this one
Hmmmm, that’s tricky… I haven’t posted too many entries and I try to keep a lighthearted tone in my blog so I rarely share much personal (emotional) information.
I guess it might be my first “real” post, actually: here’s the link. Right when I was starting my blog I had been going through a difficult time in my life… I started writing about, injected it with a good dose of humor and my blog was born. 🙂
This was the hardest post to publish. http://thebeefjar.com/2011/07/13/wordless-wednesday-a-beef-harvest-2/ I knew I was going to get some attention for it, but I thought it would be from consumers and not my own industry. Dr. Temple Grandin took a look at it, and said this is what we need to be showing. So Validated!
I feel like I haven’t written the ones that will be the most difficult to publish. I’m not sure how much I want to share. But to date, I’d have to go with “The Rage Inside Me” http://wp.me/p1sXPw-5L because I was in a bad place and writing about it without the seemingly required upbeat ending. Starting over is a new beginning and all, but when it’s from a place you never wanted to be, with restraints and constraints you wish you didn’t have, well for me it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. Mothers blessed with healthy children have feelings too.
By far my toughest post was this one: http://hoohaablog.com/?p=1106 .
That being said, I also think it was one of my best. That’s the thing about posts that are tough to write — they make you think harder and write better. Because you know how hard it is and you want to get it right.