Hi. My name
is M. J. Joachim and I’m an insecure writer.
That’s not
my real name, of course. Aside from being strongly advised not to use my real
name when I started writing on the Internet, I didn’t really believe anyone
would want to read, what I wanted to
write, at least not with my real name on it anyway.
M. J. had a
bit of a ring to it. Plus, it caught on well. My writing was a hit, and so was
M. J. Joachim…all things being relative, that is. Let’s face it! There are
millions of people writing and publishing on the Internet, and I haven’t even
come close to millions of page views since I started publishing my work.
One thing
led to another…man there’s a lot to learn about cyberspace!
The more you
know, the more you begin to realize how much you seriously don’t have a clue
about…paranoia will destroy ya, or something like that....
Then there’s
the whole idea of experimentation. What’s the worst that can happen? You lose
an entire masterpiece? Yea, I’ve done that – a few times actually. Click one
wrong button and POOF! It disappears. If you’re lucky you can track it down, or
some nice cyber fairy will toss a bit of cyber dust and voila! It reappears
without a hint of explanation or know-how on your part.
Back to the
part about “what I wanted to write”
now…
There’s a
reason I separated it with commas and put it in italics…
It’s not
about me. It’s not about me. It’s not about me.
Writing is
about my message – not my personal life. I get very insecure when my personal
life enters into it. I like my privacy and frankly, I’m not sure anyone needs
to know when I do my laundry or what I eat for dinner. Wait! That’s Facebook,
isn’t it? Sorry. Got confused there for a minute…
Naturally I
draw from real life when I write, but I’m very careful to separate the two.
Fiction is fiction, fantasy is fantasy and opinions are exactly that, opinions.
We can only write from what we know, so to claim I don’t get personal would be
a lie. That doesn’t mean I don’t use poetic license and create twists, turns
and contradictions where there are none. Of course I do! I’m a writer, and
because I’m insecure, it makes perfect sense to change the facts, send anyone I
feel like to jail – do not pass go,
and release the hidden stories buried deep within my soul.
Thank you
for visiting Writing Tips.
Until next
time, I wish you every good thing.
M. J.
©2013 All
Rights Reserved
Great post! Its great to send certain characters to jail. That's what I'm doing right now with my WIP. Good luck to you.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for posting the Nat'l Wormhole Day Blog hop and Writers4Writers badges on your side bar!
Happy to add a little color here and there:) Thanks for your encouragement, support and kind wishes. Actually, a few of my characters have been dying off on my FlashTyme blog. My kids are wondering how I come up with some of those stories. I just smile and say, "It's genetic. No worries!"
DeleteCool post - nice to meet you, M.J. And thanks for your boot in the pants on my blog.
ReplyDeleteKaren
Nice to meet you too, Karen. What's a little nudge between bloggers? :)
DeleteThat line between reality and fiction does sometimes get blurred a little in the writing. I think a lot of us worry that readers will assume the things we write about are personal or that we are describing ourselves, when really it's just made up stuff. Nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you too, L. G. Isn't it fun, the places we can take our writing to, just because we can?!
DeleteI sometimes wonder what readers will assume about me based on my writing. I do include some real life experiences in my writing, but most are completely made up or start out real and take a different ending. In the end, people will assume what they will, but you know what they say about that word "assume." :)
ReplyDeleteYes, people make assumptions all the time, and many of them are completely inaccurate too. It's one of the reasons we're writers though, because we can bring amazing characters to life, all just by sitting and typing on the computer too!
DeleteI think it's good to maintain privacy.
ReplyDeleteYes, and boundaries too. Thanks for stopping by Tonja:)
DeleteThe more you learn the more you realize there is a universe you don't know. My worst nightmare I think. I've gotten anxiety attacks over that and nearly close the cave door and stop writing (for others). It's scary but we have to handle one thing at a time, I guess.
ReplyDeleteThose anxiety attacks are scary things, Al. I've never personally had one, but I know people who have. They're very frightening, indeed! Yes, one thing and one day at a time. I couldn't agree more! Thanks for stopping by and chatting with me today. It's always so good to see you:)
DeleteI love the idea of sending anybody I want to jail.. Or off the top of a building.. Lol.. :) Or - because I'm really not heartless - Let them live happily-ever-after. :)
ReplyDeleteNo, I must agree with you, it's easy to tell you have a big heart, Mimi:) However, doing what we want with our characters is part of what makes writing so fun and interesting. Don't you agree?
DeleteGreat way to look at things. =)
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteI'm the opposite of you. I'm an open book because of my blogs. I'd like to write with my real name but it's so common that their are already numerous of other writers and other using it. I'd just end up getting confused with all the others whose name I share.
ReplyDeleteLee
Wrote By Rote
An A to Z Co-host blog
Twitter: @AprilA2Z
Must be some of that denial you spoke of over on your dream post, Lee. Maybe someday I'll be more of an open book and claim it all. For now, it's probably best to think of it as my past - things that happened long ago, contributed strongly to who I am today and don't need to be focused on or revisited anytime soon.
DeleteYou're smarter than I am. I've always written in first-person, never thinking about how vulnerable it makes me, or that anyone would take interest. Oops, I'm stuck spilling out my soul. Thus, the need for thick skin.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting and following my blog, MJ. I'm glad to do the same.
xoRobyn
Lots of characters in my life, some who probably wouldn't be very happy at all, if they ended up in my blogs.
DeleteWriting requires a thick skin, regardless of whether you make up characters or spill your soul. Thanks for following me back:)
Right, it's impossible to keep the personal out of the writing...and nearly as impossible to explain to everyone you know that NO that story is NOT about ME...hehe.
ReplyDeleteI read on a blog post today something to the effect of "Screw what your mother, spouse, children, best friend or anyone else thinks. Write your story the way you need to and don't worry about all the other head trash, commentaries, approvals and lack thereof." It's true. We have to write what's in our minds, hearts and souls without holding back. Thank you for stopping by and visiting here today:)
DeleteI just sent myself to jail, but I'm innocent I tell ya! I just jumped in with personal stuff though I do embellish from time to time. I believe that everyone has to write what speaks to them with the ability to leave our comfort zones now and then.
ReplyDeleteJulie
Hi Julie. I'm a writer. It's not about comfort. It's about telling my stories, the only way I know how. The words flow, they always flow, and for me, this is how they make raging rivers. :)
DeleteWell met, MJ :)
ReplyDeleteI debated for a while whether or not to use my real name, and I'm far gone to turn back now. Maybe when I start putting my fiction writing out there I'll choose a pen name and stay anonymous.
Jamie @ Mithril Wisdom
Actually, I signed up for one of those writing sites when I started Internet writing. The forums had pages of reasons to use a pen name. They highly recommended it, and I didn't know any different...so I picked one. Funny thing is, M. J. really is me. It's sort of like choosing a Confirmation name or something...mine is Rose. I was drawn to that name, so when I had the opportunity to add it to my birth name, I jumped at the chance:)
DeleteA little bit of us always creeps into our stories.
ReplyDeleteI did use my real name, although once I saw where my books reside on the bookshelf (at the very bottom with the other W authors) I almost wish I hadn't.
My maiden name is Smith, if it's any consolation:) Best of the day to you, Diane:)
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ReplyDeleteGreat article, M.J.! It has a universal ring to it....imagine that. ":)
Thank you, Raymond! Glad you like my article :)
Deletewriting is such a release, isnt it! we are in charge, but we are also exposed by putting ourselves in it!
ReplyDeleteWriting is an amazing outlet, release and for some people, a nice chunk of change too - but only if you end up on the NY Best Seller List...lol
DeleteAlways nice to meet another insecure writer, real name or not :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! Right back at you, too:)
DeleteReal name or not, our writing takes micro bits from our persona and thoughts and goes on to become something else. Privacy on the net is a rare commodity, totally understand the need to hoard it.
ReplyDeleteNice meeting you.
We do tend to reveal ourselves between the lines, don't we? I wouldn't exactly call it hoarding - just knowing and deciding when not to share something...Nice meeting you too! :)
DeleteNice to meet you! For a while I used my everyday name, the name my family & friends call me, but alas, it was too silly to be an author name. Candi (really?)? So I combined my first and middle names and found something I liked better. My blog is very what you see, is what you get. But I think when you write for kids, I better put it all out there, cuz they'll know if I don't. But every writer is different, what we write and our audiences. I think we just need to find what works for us.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Candilynn. Writing is definitely personal on so many levels. Thanks for stopping by and commenting:)
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