Show People Who You Are As A Writer

This is sage advice but it takes a great act of courage to reveal yourself to a potentially critical public. Lately, I have been feeling more courage to write while focusing on my message, my audience or my craft rather than the reception or approval/disapproval of my work. That helps.

Everything that you say is undeniably true. We are going to the age of electronics, but we can avoid it.

I like writing, but I'm not very good at it. I wish I had some talent.

I was invited to speak last month at a local college. I presented creative writing techniques as a highlight. They were engaged and inspired to write with more passion. Yes, I do hope it opens doors for me to speak and teach the art of writing -- and to get my name out there. Enjoyed your video. Thanks for the tips and encouragement, Bill.

This is incredibly helpful information, as thank you for taking time to post it for us new writers, authors, online bloggers, hip pages writers and so on.

I will definitely be referring back to this hub when creating new profile information from now on! Heck I will make sure my profiles have all the elements you talk about here, in this hub article!

Thanks again...

Very sincerely,

Pamela

Billybuc, whenever I feel a little down because I am not sure of what to focus on - as most morning I am happy to get up and start writing or editing - I think of you, your commitment, you kindness and willingness to help others, your joie de vivre and you know what - you get me going again. Thank you.

So love the thought of writing a mission statement and sharing my passions with the world as a focused and consistent habit. :0)...and I would call you to say "hi" if I had your cell phone number.

Voted this hub Up, Tweeted, and Pinned! Are you on Pinterest? Gotta find you there, Billy!

In the meantime, I would be very excited to have lunch with you, and Bev, if you are ever in the Boston area. I live about an hour outside Boston, and we'd have a guest room here for you if you wanted to visit my co-housing community in Central, MA....and meet our chickens. ~:0)

This is a hard one for me. I originally did not use my name here because I was not sure what I would be writing about and I didn't want people being able to reach out to me very easily. I'm still ok with that, but after being here almost 2 years I wish I had used something at least closer to my name.

A very good hub. much food for thought here. no, you aren't nuts. The anonymity factor bothers me too. I think it's a wonderful thing to make a human connection with other writers like you have been doing lately. I like how you reach out to each and everyone of us. thank you.

This is a very thought-provoking hub for me. After growing and living in very tight-lipped, conservative Midwestern areas for years, and being a grant writer for a youth-serving organization, I find myself always second-guessing posts in public forums. Don't want any to upset my family, friends, town, the agency's board of directors or any financial supporters of the agency, those types of things. I have not stopped to think how squelching some of my honest thoughts might keep me "hidden" from someone I could actually help or would simply enjoy knowing. Thanks for the nudge!

Once again, great advice here. I hate to try and have a conversation with someone only to have them distracted by texting, so the idea of a computer writing a story is appalling to me.

I have a passion to write, but low self-esteem, and a fear of commitment. My self-esteem came from childhood experiences that I feel hindered my early years as an adult (and occasionally now) . For a long time I was told I was too stupid to amount to anything. (This led to making sure I didn't use the word stupid when raising my children.) My fear of commitment comes from having a good thing taken away. When you live in a world of negativity it is hard to identify, or embrace, the positive side of life. I didn't understand what was positive for a long time. When something positive happened to me it was quickly overshadowed by something negative. Over time I have learned to embrace the positive and purge those things that drag me down. This included certain people in my life. It has taken me a long time to learn to commit to something without the fear of if begin taken away.

For example: I want to commit to writing full time but everytime I do something drastic happens in the family and I fear I won't have the time I need to follow my writing dreams. It is far easier to give up than to find a way to compromise. I am always worried what people think of me. It is a slow learning process but I am beginning to find a balance.

Thanks for sharing all your wonderful advice and a piece of yourself. I have learned a great deal from you here.

Top class advice Bill. My early hubs were just collections of poetry I had written years before. I guess one's poetry gives some sense of who they are but it is also an easy vehicle to hide behind and often a way of expressing things they can't in real life. It took becoming involved in the HP community (thanks mainly to Nellieanna sharing my work) that made me open up and begin to read and comment on others hubs. Being a somewhat shy and reclusive person, I began to feel accepted and comfortable here and began to reveal my personality more in my writing, even writing essays on my life and where live and including my family and animals in my writing. I received such wonderful feedback from people who enjoyed getting to know me better that I now have no qualms about sharing more personal details, feelings and events. I have made some true friends here I think. Your hubs are a continued inspiration and encouragement. Thanks.

One of the appeals that hubpages has always had for me is allowing me to share experiences and personal thoughts. Not all websites allow you to do that because they are too stringent with their subjects. I can only hope that my personality shines through my writing n hubpages half as good as yours does.

Then, I'll be happy! Thanks for great info, Bill.

Thanks for the wonderful lessons, Bill!

Bill,

Once again, your thoughts are right on. When we share our true selves with each other and our high and lows in life. This does allow the connection with those who read our work. It allows us as writers to convey to the readers, we are just like you, go through the same wonderful and challenging life situations as you. The only difference is we write about it, share it. And hopefully it will be a blessing for who ever reads it. This was a blessing to read. Shared and Up she goes. :-)

Blessings & hugs!

I hope I shine through in my writing. I'm not really sure.

Bill, you are one in a million! But we are all different, would Harper Lee be more or less inspirational if we knew her better? I'm not sure ....maybe she gave as much as she was prepared to give, and by living in isolation she is being true to herself, maybe she is happiest far from the madding crowd. While I really admire people who are comfortable putting everything out there, that simply isn't me. There are things I love to share and there are things I'm not comfortable sharing. However, I do see your point, the people who read our work can relate on a different level when they can identify with the writer, I know I do with you. Having said all that, I like to think that my poems and comments clearly show who I am. Excellent work, inspiring and thought-provoking as always. Take care and my very best to you.

Strangely enough, I read an article this week about computers that are writing news stories. It's a scary thought, especially if the strategy spreads to other areas. I enjoy learning about a writer by reading their words. Thanks for a thought provoking hub, Bill.

Good eveningBill.

Once again the most helpful which in my case implementable after an implosion. There might be many, however not everyone is William D.Holland that people would be interested meeting in person. See, inside of me deeply engraved from previous life 'don't popularize yourself' , more often than not causes hesitantly to use personal pronoun " I " , even when required. ( Is there a substitute to LOL ? )

Up, useful and interesting.

Make a great weekend my friend.

People are so full of wonderful quirks that I find it hard to believe computers will ever be able to imitate personal stories and idiosyncrasies. I enjoy catching a glimpse of raw expressions of humanity -- failure, fear, triumph, uncertainty, rage, joy, pride... . Only another person can truly create and connect with readers this way.

Thank you

Thank you for your article. I have just begun my adventures in writing. The writing has been almost therapeutic, as I reflect on what I know, and what I feel I have to share with others. I am trying to find my own voice, after years of trying to please others. Your message about revealing myself as a writer hit home. As I grow and learn and explore new ideas, I hope I find the words to share with others, as you have.

I didn't realize how much I missed hubpages these last few months! Another great article.

Wonderful write dear Bill. I am a bit of an open book in my writing and commenting, so, hopefully, most everyone knows who I am as a writer. I am sorry I missed reading at lunch, so I am here at dinner lol. Stay true to who you are and never change. We are human beings and as such, we all need that human connection with others. We were created to feel connected to others. It is so important to have a fulfilling life ...the real deal stuff. Have a glorious weekend.

You are so right that person-to-person communication is a dying art. I'm fed up with computer games, texting in the extreme and so much more. I loved the days of letters (if one could not talk face to face) and today's emails are just the same as letters, though faster which is great.

We certainly do need to make our voices felt, our individuality recognised. As writers we have to expose ourselves and our emotions; if not, we cannot connect with all those readers who will otherwise themselves identify with our emotions and experiences.

I've just spent a day showing our French friends around the beautiful city of Bath. They can't speak English well and relied a lot on my French; however, they smiled and thanked all of those with whom we interacted in shops and cafes, they tried to put across what they felt and they succeeded. We communicated well with lots of people we'd never met before and our day was all the richer for that. The fellow in the pub was so pleased that our French friends were trying an English 'steak & ale pie'!

Communication is vital and as writers we have to show who we are and what we want to say. Otherwise, there's no point in writing. Words on a page have to transmit emotions and voices.

You have so much to say, so much to contribute; you are the ultimate writer because we all feel we know you so well. Your emotion and your voice ring loud and clear through your words.

I'm going to hit the sack after a long and delightful day. Enjoy the rest of your day, bill! Ann

Dear Bill,

You are the real deal, an honorable man who keeps his word and shares his gifts. Glad I know you as a writer and a friend.

Have a beautiful weekend. Love, Maria

Hi Bill. Great Hub. I can guarantee you one thing, if you ever make it to New England, Terry and I would love to take you to lunch, dinner, or anyplace you would like to go. Why, because of exactly what you wrote about. To me you are more than a great writer, you are a friend who I have had the pleasure to get to know and who I have the utmost respect for. And if you don't make it here we are scheduled for a trip to Seattle in the Spring of 2015 for my nieces high school graduation so expect a phone call :) Have a great weekend.

Another great hub, Bill. It made me sit back and revisit my purpose for writing. The YouTube video was excellent - I had to take notes! LOL! But on a serious note I realize I need to revamp my approach to my blogging if I want to establish and increase my audience. One of the first steps I'll have to take is update my profile pic! :)

Your passion for others always shines through and knowing you writing and that you are there is an inspiration to me. Thank you Billybuc.

It has always been difficult for me to open up, but i'm working on it. I love to laugh and i love poetry. I have often thought about having a blog, many of my friends have them, it's more like a visit to post there. This is another great ' how to ' hub. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us. What did we do before you arrived on Hubpages? Smiling...

Billy

I love the title underneath the image of you 'This is me....my name is Bill Holland...but I am so much more than a name' .

Oh yes - that one really speaks to me - you are certainly much more than just a name. Thanks for being such a good mentor and friend Billy. Your family must be very proud of you.

Have a great week-end.

Sally

The video was fantastic. What a crazy world. Love you man. The greatest problem with communication is the illusion that it is happening. So I just shut up and listen.

You know what makes this hub so special, Bill? It's that you practice what you preach. Your passion and compassion are evident. Thank you for just being real!

I think you have a good lesson here for a writer trying to make a name for himself or herself. I hope to do that someday, but it wouldn’t be conducive to my daytime job, so I hide behind a silly name.

You mentioned Harper Lee, and another came to my mind, Margaret Mitchell, who never wrote a followup to Gone with the Wind because she said she was sick of the book and ordered all her papers burned upon her death. Alexandra Ripley came along about 20 years ago and wrote a sequel that was to me totally out of context for Scarlet O’Hara. It was obviously written for a commercialized market and had little of “real Southerners” in it. One reader shared my viewpoint by saying “its sparkling characters … distorted into something ‘mass market’ and extremely unacceptable.”

Today a person can buy plots already written for them, and I assume those are the ones you are referring to as "written by a computer". All they have to do is supply the setting and maybe the color of the characters eyes and hair. Many romance writers and some mystery writers who gin out books and series of books write from such plots. I was very disappointed to read somewhere that George R.R. Martin farms out his plots to such writers, but the books come out in his name. Now that I am in book 4 of his Game of Thrones, I am getting tired of the redundancy. I’m not sure my interest will hold out to finish the series.

Talk about impersonal writing! Advise aspiring writers not to do that, friend Bill. Voted up++

Love that you discussed Harper Lee. Her behavior is a great example of the romanticized, old style stereotypical author. They needed and wanted solitude to do their "art." Today, that model is as dated as the manual typewriters used to craft their masterpieces. To be disconnected is to be dead in the market.

It's also, in my opinion, a rather arrogant position to take. "I can't be bothered with those little people that read my books." This doesn't mean that authors need to offer unrestricted access. But they do need to be in touch with the readers--the markets--they serve. That's the crux of the issue, actually. Writers have a difficult time seeing themselves as sellers and marketers of information and entertainment. They desperately want to "artists." There are a lot of writers and artists who are hoping to be discovered (emphasis on hoping), as if publishers are beating the bushes to find the next Hemingway. Not! For publishers, an average talent author who has a huge following is worth two hundred of 'em hiding their talent in the bush.

Leaving soapbox now. :)

Your passion is indeed shining billybuc by your willingness to help other writers. You are so right about being passionate. It is passion that allows us to give the best of ourselves and produce quality work. I like the way you reach out and share with others. You are setting a great example! Voted up!

This is an excellent hub and full of important tips. I find time is my enemy as my fingers are in too many pies. I am referring to my home responsibilities, as well as, writing. I love reading books and I follow some blogs and hub articles as time permits.

Your hub makes me think I need to re-evaluate my priorites. You are so persisitently dedicated, and the strides you have made since you started with Hubpages are surely impressive. I always learn something new when I read you articles.

Bill, I've often said I have more online friends than face-to-face friends. I've met so many people who reach out to me and I them. We have conversations outside writing forums. We touch base because we're thinking of each other. We send cards to each other, cry when we need to cry, vent when we need to vent and laugh - a lot! Sometimes, we even pick up the phone. I've even made friends outside HP who like my articles or blog posts or comments in forums. It's wonderful to be reached out to because someone wants to get to know you better. To get to know you as a person. After all, we are people first above all else.

Great article my friend!

That's the real quality of a writer to prove himself as a writer in every respect. Great hub from a great writer!

Yes. The most important is to use your down voice.

This is such an important message, Bill. I can understand text blasting announcements like, "It's a girl!" But, it's not OK to text "Will you marry me?" When it's that personal, you just have to put the phone down and go see the person. Bill, you're the same person online as you are over the phone and I suspect that you will be the same person when I see you face-to-face. I have a brother who lives in your state and the next time I go visit him I will make sure to include enough time in my schedule to have lunch with you and Bev. I feel like I know her, too. I look forward to the day we all meet face-to-face.

You're right, Bill. We have to believe that we're worth knowing. You inspire me. Perhaps, one day I'll meet you.

You can only say so much about chickens Billy and you done said it! Oh would you believe I got two little yellow chicks, I think one is a rooster, should be an interesting summer. lol......

Love you guy.

Hi Bill,

As I was reading this I was thinking, "I bet I could write an article about Bill Holland AND I bet he could write one about me as well."

I think we both would be pretty accurate, and our articles would be interesting. Not that either of us have the time to do that right now as both of us are knee deep in projects!

Great advice Bill, as always you have valuable information and a knack for making it interesting.

Mark

Great hub as always. You are passionate about your writings and always share what you know with all of us. You have let yourself shine through your writings!! Voted up.

Bill, another wonderful hub. Your voice shines through in what you write because you are passionate about the art of writing. What you write will not ring true to others if you are not true to yourself.

I am trying to do exactly that to show who I am and and more. Interesting and useful to all writers.