If I waited until I felt worthy and confident about my writing, I would never show it to anyone. The thing is, my writing has improved and I've gotten more confident about it because of Idol and the relationships I've developed here.
It would be nice if there were more seasons, but Gary's been pretty emphatic about this being the last one. Carpe diem and stuff. Objects in the GR are not as scary as they appear.
Plus, I've voted for you, and I don't just throw my votes out there. I'd hate for you to leave and then regret it. I mean, if Real Life(tm) has gotten in your way that's one thing, but if it's just about confidence, IMO, the best way to build that is to stick around. Just my two cents.
I think the best thing for me is to work up my confidence a bit more slowly - I went from an environment (my writing journal) where essentially nobody reads my work on any sort of consistent basis, to a forum where I was getting so much feedback that it was utterly overwhelming! And while it was absolutely awesome that the feedback was so good, it brought a level of anxiety with it that I don't think I'm quite ready to handle yet. :)
I got so much out of the few weeks I participated in this - a lot more than I thought I would, being that I went in expecting to bet voted out in the first week!
Well, if you're sure, then consider watching the community and home gaming every now and then. Traditionally home gamers don't get as many readers as contestants do, but those of us who know you will be sure to read your posts if you link them in the Green Room.
And, some time in the first half of the game, Gary will announce Second Chance Idol, so if you decide you're ready to participate again for a while, you can jump back in there for however long works for you.
I really, really, really understand operating outside your comfort zone. When I started in Idol, I had barely finished any stories, much less shown them to anyone. I did it on a whim, and every week I was more than a little freaked out about showing my stuff to strangers, about putting it out there publicly on the internet. I'm super introverted myself, and just commenting on stuff takes up a LOT of my social energy - which is one reason I'm worse about it than I should be. And when I first started I did zip, zero, and zilch as far as the "social aspect" of the game - it took quite a while to get comfortable. And even still, I made it to the top 10 in S8.
Really-o truly-o, it's worth sticking it out. Your stuff is good. No lie here - I've voted for you every week. I look forward to seeing what you'll come up with. You develop your voice by writing. Write to us. You develop confidence by doing things that are hard, and this is a great opportunity to do a lot of hard things all in one, just to see how far you can make it by giving it
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It would be nice if there were more seasons, but Gary's been pretty emphatic about this being the last one. Carpe diem and stuff. Objects in the GR are not as scary as they appear.
Plus, I've voted for you, and I don't just throw my votes out there. I'd hate for you to leave and then regret it. I mean, if Real Life(tm) has gotten in your way that's one thing, but if it's just about confidence, IMO, the best way to build that is to stick around. Just my two cents.
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I got so much out of the few weeks I participated in this - a lot more than I thought I would, being that I went in expecting to bet voted out in the first week!
Reply
And, some time in the first half of the game, Gary will announce Second Chance Idol, so if you decide you're ready to participate again for a while, you can jump back in there for however long works for you.
Reply
Really-o truly-o, it's worth sticking it out. Your stuff is good. No lie here - I've voted for you every week. I look forward to seeing what you'll come up with. You develop your voice by writing. Write to us. You develop confidence by doing things that are hard, and this is a great opportunity to do a lot of hard things all in one, just to see how far you can make it by giving it ( ... )
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