"'No' can mean 'not yet.' Take it that way!" -Teneshia Jackson-Warren.
Teneshia Jackson-Warren's opening keynote to BlogHer14 in San Jose kicked off the conference with a tone that persisted throughout the weekend: You can do this! And you should. It's a message that seemed to resonate as much with veteran writers as with those who hadn't yet blogged a word. And since imposter syndrome and doubts can plague anyone, the upbeat messaging was well-received by all, if the enthusiastic applause and "woots!" were indicative. Jackson-Warren's personal story of how she pursued her dream and found her voice got me thinking about how some people decide to move forward with writing while others (ahem, me) put it aside. More than a few times, I heard potential bloggers mention that their field was crowded. There were countless others blogging on their topic of interest, some very successfully, so why should there be yet another piece of writing on (insert topic of your choice here)? Should there be yet another bit of potentially redundant information on an internet lousy with bits of information? I'd like to use this blog to say publicly that I think the answer is YES. If you have a personal viewpoint to share and the words with which to share it, then please add value to the world by adding your voice. If it's been said many times before, then you're in good company. If it's been said many times before but not just the way you would say it, or if you're sharing a personal story or an original work of poetry or fiction or an essay, then your unique voice adds something new to the conversation. I'm not fooled into thinking that everything written deserves an audience. It doesn't. My journal, for example. But I've found that a lot of people who self-censor sometimes have a valuable story, and need the most nudging to share their words. This post is for them. Because we need more women's voices out there, not fewer. We need more storytellers, not fewer. We need more people's perspectives, not just a few voices dominating a conversation. So if you've been thinking about writing, about starting a blog, about creating some art for the world, let me know when you put it into the world. I'd love to be the first to read it. *********************** Tweet your thoughts to @Anita_Sarah. Thank you!