Questions

I wanted to write, but when I sit down to write, my mind seems to go blank. There's no logical progression to my thoughts, and I can't even seem to focus on a topic. It's a dream of mine to write...Poetry, prose, short stories, novels, self-help, Bible studies, nature stories, how-to, biography, fiction, and now...a blog???...Where does one start? Do I look for writing prompts? Do I wait for inspiration? Do I just start writing?

Will I have anything to say? Will I be able to convey my thoughts with clarity? Will I ramble? Will anyone want to read it? Does it matter? Can I write for the simple pleasure of it, or do I need an audience? Do I need to make a point or can I just indulge my whims? Can I write an entire piece by only asking questions?

Do I write about real life? Do I write about fantasy, dreams, magical places that exist only in my mind? Do I write about people I know? Or do I write about people I'd like to know or who I'd like to become? Do I write about the present, the future or the past? Do I write about the super-fantastic or do I write about the every day? So many, many questions!!!

Can I share what's in my heart, or do I need to guard those secrets? Can I be open and honest or do I need to be polite and lady-like? Can I be riotous and bawdy or do I need to be pristine and pure? Do I need to spell everything correctly, or can I take liberties with the language and write like we really talk? Do I worry about other people's opinions or can I just rant? Can I make up the rules as I go along?

How do I develop the characters? How do I write dialogue? How do I make it sound real and not contrived? How do I make it interesting? Can a compilation of descriptions join together to make a story? Can my story be scattered, or does it need to be structured? Do I want to write about love, hope and purpose or do I want to explore the darker depression, despair and apathy that are sometimes my companions? Can I do both?

Will my writing embarrass my family? Would it embarrass me? Am I qualified enough? Can I even pretend to be an expert on anything? Can I stay focused long enough to finish a project? Can I be successful? Can I even define successful? Where do I start? I have ideas that swim around and around in my head...but how do I fish those out and dry them off enough to put them on paper? Like other fish, Would they die outside of the water or would they develop lungs and feet and walk away with a smile? How will I know until I try? Where can I find the courage to try?

Why do I question everything? Can I just take that first step? Can I just let go? Can I just do it?