This last week has been an emotional rollercoaster for my writing. In a short time, I went from a stage of writing solely for myself, to again sharing my work for critiques and feedback. The change caught me by surprise.

There were moments of fulfillment. A friend texted me with words that brought a wave of encouragement over me. There were moments of disappointment when someone didn’t like or understand my writing.

I got feedback—some positive, some negative. And the feedback helped me grow. But at the same time, I found myself worrying about my readers, my audience, as I wrote.

For goodness’ sake, my audience is primary family and friends at this point. Why should I care what they think? But still I found myself worrying about improving, building a platform, and more about my readers.

How do you write without those worries hanging over you?

How do you keep the fears of peoples’ opinions from controlling your writing?

How do you write boldly when you feel the eyes of readers fixed upon you while you write?

To be honest, I haven’t found all the answers. But I do know this.

When people read your work, you lose the assurance that no one will criticize you. But you gain the joy of moving other people (sometimes just one person) with your words. So is it better to write only for yourself or to endure the hardships, the mixed reviews, the growing pains in order to move one reader?

I try to write solely from my heart, from my passions, fueled by wonder, motivated by the truths I want to tell. Forgetting my readers, who might criticize, who might praise.

Last night, I sat down and wrote myself a reminder:

Never write according to what your readers might like or dislike. Remember why you write. You don’t write for a certain number of hits, or acclaim, or the hope of success and glory one day. Write what you feel burdened to write. Leave the rest to Someone Else.