Lying In Wait

There is writing I have finished. It's pretty damn perfect. But I will not share it publicly now.

Someday is a time when I can share this writing. I feel badly that I cannot share it immediately. But not badly enough to post it.

I am not sharing it because it might make someone else feel bad. It's cryptic but they might figure it out anyway.

So I'm sitting on it.

It feels good to tell you about this writing that I have done. If I choose not to share it now, then at least I can talk about the writing. That's better than nothing.

There is some writing that lives in my head. I haven't worked on it yet in a literal way. That is because I knew from the beginning that this writing would get me into very, very deep hot water.

I've worked out the bones of my story but I haven't used my iPad to record it in the usual way.

So this writing is going into the someday pile also. I'm willing to risk small quantities of hot water, but not this much. I like to stir the pot - a little.

There is writing that is too personal. It is too revealing.

There is writing that is about parenting but would be potentially embarrassing. So that's shelved.

I am glad that I've shared the writing I have. There are one or two pieces that are on the edge of what I should have shared. Would I share them again? I don't know. Some days feel like yes, and some no.

The more stuff I write, the more I've written and shared. I've got a good meaty inventory of it on my blog now.

The more I write and share, the more I've shelved. There is a bank of this unshared writing.

There is writing that I may never share. I could share it if I'd burned every bridge with all of my previous writing. You can see that this will probably never happen.

I've written this. I've shared it. I've mentioned other writing that exists that is not getting shared. You can't read it now but it's not invisible. It's been given its due.

Here is what is helping me now. Keeping good writing that is potentially inflammatory on a shelf is not the same as ignoring it or throwing it away. A stockpile is not a trashcan.

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July 1999