The Risk of Writing

Ideas are safe. There’s no risk when ideas are nicely tucked into the protection of one’s own mind. Thoughts are so easy when not restricted by language and syllables and sentence structure. Perspectives and opinions can cozy up comfortably on the sofa of one’s internal processing.

Writing, though, is risky. It risks stapling words to thoughts, which is inevitably imperfect. It risks putting limitation of language on those opinions and perspectives. Those ideas that were hunkered down in your mind risk stepping out into the elements of communication.

Writing is not copying and pasting someone else’s words.
Writing is not reposting someone else’s meme.
Writing is not using a picture (that someone else probably took) to carry most of the weight of communicating.

Writing is doing the hard, risky work of accepting the limitations of language, pinning words to thoughts, and carefully articulating perspectives.

Writing is a risk worth taking because healthy communication is priceless.

Everyone should do it.