Whoa

Not "Whoa" like you say to a horse when you want it to stop, but "Whoa" like you say when you're so overwhelmed by something that you completely lose your well-known properties of articulation and simply utter one word ... "Whoa." 

A couple of nights ago, I wrote the post "Wherefore Art Thou, Oh Mighty Muse?" because I was ticked off after reading a bunch of emails about me not posting in a few days. People who don't know me at all were scolding me from their keyboards and saying I had writer's block. And if that weren't enough to aggravate the living starch out of me, a great many of those people went on to tell me what I needed to do to fix it. There are far too many to list, but to the someone who said I "needed to build an altar in my back yard and pray to the writing gods to infuse me with their words of wisdom while I walked across a bed of hot coals," you need to know that I will never ever do as you suggested ... no, wait, you didn't suggest that I engage in your totally bizarre and insane practice, you demanded that I "do it post haste lest the writing gods rain down their judgment upon me and remove my writing skills for all time." Trust me, it ain't never ever gonna happen. Now you see why I was ticked off when I wrote my previous post ... some people just be flat-out crazy, my friends.

After reading so many "unusual" messages regarding my supposed state of writer's block, I was understandably more than a little apprehensive about reading the emails that began flooding my inbox following my Mighty Muse post. Last night, however, I decided to suck it up and start reading, and it didn't take long for me to recognize that there was a recurring theme in many of the messages ... 

"Don't talk the talk if you can't walk the walk."

"Practice what you preach ... be open, honest, real and transparent and write what's in your heart."

"This is where the rubber meets the road, Terrie. Don't let fear of what others may say keep you from saying what you need to say."

"Time for you to put your money where your mouth is."

"When things get tough, the tough get going. Write it, sister! Write every word you want to write."

"You ever hear when push comes to shove? It's time to shove with all you got, girl. Write them words and write 'em good."

"It's not real until you have some skin in the game, T. Get on with it and say what needs to be said." 

"Here's how I see it, little lady. There's lots of people who you inspire with your words, so hitch up your britches and saddle up your horse cause it's time for you to get riding."

And last, but most certainly not least ...

"Say what you need to say - be the voice you want to be. You can do that! I know you can, you have to know you can."

Whoa. Message received, loud and clear. Stay tuned ...