Exposed.

The most exposed I’ve ever truly felt has been when something I’ve written has been published. There’s something so tormenting about knowing that the creative baby from your mind’s womb has been birthed publicly for all to judge. Even being fully nude on a beach hasn’t evoked so many complicated emotions in me, and trust me, that wasn’t something you’d have wanted to witness. Yet, here I am doing it once again and, additionally, committing myself to this masochistic torture which seems to derive its power from my public humiliation. Well, YOLO and c’est la vie because when in Rome, whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I’m pretty sure that was the “quote of the year” for 2023, so there’s no where to go but up from here.

I actually quite enjoy writing. There’s something so captivating about sitting with your own thoughts until they form something that can be read by another and elicit a similar vision of that which came so vividly from your imagination; bonus if it can entice the senses of your reader to activate and engage them in said image. The problem, if you can really call it that, is that in order to have something appreciated it has to first be seen, and that’s much harder to do with a crippling fear of vulnerability keeping all of your brilliant ideas and stories for itself. So, for 2024 I’ve decided the only way to make an impact is to grab onto the nooks and crannies of my naked body of creativity, and dance like I’ve got ants in my pants but nobody’s watching.

With this newfound perspective, I prefer not to look too much into the past but choose to focus mainly upon my marvelous plans for the upcoming year. I understand that I have a very specific writing style, and that it may not be for everyone. That being said, it wouldn’t hurt to try writing in a few new areas this year. First I have my memoir to finish in Chapters, which I’ll continue to plug away at as if the entire world is just dying to hear explicitly about the strange woman whose entire life accomplishments, thus far, can be summed up as “turning my birthday into a lifestyle” and mastering escapism (documentary and masterclass coming soon to a procrastinator’s theater near you). The past 7 years of this lifestyle have been spent traveling around the world, so connecting with others and writing some of my experiences and ideas in the Wander community would be fun.

Then, last year I started an international women’s empowerment group (She Thinks/Speaks FIERCE: Females Inspiring and Empowering Real Change Everywhere) with themed motivational newsletters, podcasts and interviews with women around the world about being incredible and kicking ass in heels, which I’d really love to build upon by creating relationships and collaborations with writers in the Interview, Humans, Motivation, Psyche and Viva communities this year. Had I not been metaphorically shoved face-first into the cake that I wanted to have and eat it too last year, I would have already discovered these fantastic groups which so clearly share so many of my own goals and interests in life.

As for finding a depraved, creative niche and getting my feet wet in a little something new, I am both overly excited and more than a little nervous about reading the tantalizing Confessions of complete strangers and maybe even contributing a few of my own skeletons in the closet if they’re not too decomposed and revolting for this group. I may even partner up on that front and share some Criminal tales, although I’ll have to change the names of the not-so-innocent and check the statute of limitations in a few states...just in case.

Now that I have my next decade mapped out with commitments to more than half a dozen communities and plans to connect with other talented, introverted writers, I have a much more valid excuse for skipping inane public and social events...and for that, I thank you, Vocal, and so will the world.