When was the last time you put your foot in it and had to dig yourself out of a hole?
Recently, I have had word block, which is why I have not been appearing with my regular articles. It happens from time to time. I become overwhelmed by the number of words jumbled in my head with no clear focus of where I want to shoot them out and land them.
Holding back I have worried that if I write what I want to write, I will have to use some skills to be clear with my message and not confuse anyone or god forbid, offend.
Some writers are open to offending. Maybe it gets attention, however, I hate negativity. Since my childhood I have worried about saying the wrong thing so when I feel it is better to say nothing at all, I keep my lips tightly sealed and my fingers away from the keyboard.
Text Type is often a guilty player.
Displaying our words in text can often be taken the wrong way and misleading. Communication minus the body language and the emotion of speech can leave the reader wondering and somewhat confused. If they take what you mean the wrong way and the interpretation leans on the negative side you could be in trouble. Chaos can follow, leading to an argument or your friend/colleague silently going away harbouring their hurt.
My son wrote to me the other day and in his text he declared, ‘people don’t deserve you.’ This phrase can easily be taken the wrong way. I think I know what he was trying to say…..or do I?
Do I care if I cause confusion?
I hate explaining myself, especially if I feel I am trying to dig myself out of a hole. I shudder as I think back to periods of my life where I survived by walking on eggshells. For those of you confused by that saying, it means, watching every word you say, incase you offend or upset anyone. I had walked away from that period of my life vowing to never go back there.
My advice is to to never assume the obvious. People out there can be sensitive souls. They will choose to read you in the way they want to. They will read between your lines, form opinions and create their own chaos. There is not a lot you can do to remain 100% non offensive.
I do stay away from saying things like, I have been vaccinated and where was my invitation to Boris’s party, Oh and I do not believe in God and religions, voted for Margaret Thatcher, hated Trump, would get rid of all borders and let all refugees in where they want. Brexit, never go there. Never write about Black issues or White, come to think of it. YES I do believe we are doing horrible things to the earth but shy away from activism. Love being single and being blissfully selfish. There are many things I could write about which undoubtedly would offend someone.
The media has become a poking stick to get you to react. I get sick of it.
Finding neutral things to write about to hopefully engage your readers and followers can be daunting at times.
I am looking for that challenge. Something off the egg shells and on softer ground. Your thoughts in writing would be welcome.
