Every other Monday, I'm recording and publishing a podcast that's just a story that I'm writing.
I'm a book editor and I consider myself a good critic of books and stories in general, so it's with some authority that I say: it's not great!
But it's getting better, and it's getting easier, and that's what I'm aiming for!
Like many adults, I struggle with the idea of taking something creative and making it public. When it's in the world, it's out there, available for just anyone to look at! This must be something that creeps into our brains as adults, because half of the time when I ask my kids what they want to be when they grow up, they say they want to have Youtube channels! (We actually already have 2, each with one solitary video!)
So I'm not giving myself the chance to second-guess. I write, edit, record, and produce. Which racks my nerves to no small degree, but I know that if I were to say, "Well, let me just make sure it's perfect," then I would end up going in the same circle of editing something to death, and then moving onto another project because the current one isn't getting me anywhere.
And today is that every other Monday!
How will I look back on this podcast later on?
It might make me cringe in embarrassment! Or it might make me reminisce, think about how rough my stories were, like some grand artiste looking back at stick figures that they proudly stuck up onto the fridge.
No matter where this goes, the Internet is my fridge, and this story is my stick figure. Even if I'm the only one who ends up appreciating it, I'll be proud of my courage.
And hey, I'm getting pretty good at drawing these stick figures.