When Your Soul and Mind Collide...

Writing happens when your soul and mind collide with ideas and pictures, things that you want to do or say. It can be quite overwhelming sometimes. For me, my thoughts are much faster than my typing speed, so I often find myself struggling to get all of my thoughts out before I forget them. Even so, writing has taught me so many important and valuable things over the years, and I'm very grateful for that.

Every great writer will say that good writing is that which stirs the soul; that which brings an awakening in its readers. Good writing takes time and effort and care. Most of all, it takes heart, and lots of courage, lots and lots of courage. The courageous writer is not the one who spends their entire life in a fantasy world, but rather, the one that takes what's inside of them and opens it up for all the world to see. The vulnerable writer is the most beautiful thing in the world, for it is often when we are in this place, that we feel the most at peace. When everything is out in the open, it can seem scary at first, but we become brave, stronger, and after all, writing is a form of intimacy that simply can't compare to anything else in the world. So, we must speak the truth.

We must speak the truth and believe that somewhere out there, someone is listening and understanding. Our words become a symbol of freedom in which our voices are heard, and our souls are set free. Our voices sing out from the rooftops and the trees, our voices blow in the wind. We speak to you, reader; we want you to hear of our triumphs and sorrows. We want you to believe that by this simple act, we have awakened your heart and that line by line, we can make a difference. Somewhere beyond these pages is an avid reader, listening. Somewhere beyond these pages, a writer is born. She is me. Little Anne Marie.

I think that should be my story, "Little Anne Marie". I think that should be the book I write, because it's my story. It will be difficult to write but all the best things are. With everything happening in the world right now, I think it might be the greatest thing to share my little story with you. So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to work hard and write and tell you everything on my mind without holding anything back. My whole life was about holding back my true emotions and feelings. Today, I am not that same girl. I am a woman who has survived these long and arduous battles inside my head.

If I don't tell the world these feelings and thoughts inside of me, then I will never truly feel absolutely free, and I yearn for that. The freedom to express myself without fear of judgment or critiques. The freedom to just be the person I have always been; Anne Marie. I've been hiding, masking, feeling alone. I don't want to feel that way anymore. If you mentally torture yourself your entire life about something that wasn't your fault or was completely out of your control, I know how you feel. I know exactly what that feels like. I lived it.

My inner critic tells me I have nothing left to give; but I know they are wrong. I know they are so wrong. I wouldn't be sitting here today if they were right; I survived. I survived, but I didn't thrive. Now, it's my time to thrive. I'm going to start believing in myself, and you should, too, readers. Believe in yourself and reach for success and work hard and love what you do. Don't let anyone tell you how to feel or how to think. This life is gone in almost a blink, we'd better make it worthwhile.