Reading this is so interesting. I attributed these (same) feelings I have to my being new and unseasoned. I thought with time the feeling would abate ... but it does not look that way!
This activity/hobby we have chosen is a very odd experience. I have never felt so vulnerable or exposed as when submitting a part of my story (and the short story was magnified a gazillion times more so). It is as tho we open up a very deep personal part of ourselves .. and leave it filleted for all to examine or worse to ignore. I have played sims for many years and done FB stories for a good few now and never felt this exposed. It is an odd rollercoaster with a lot more downs than ups.
I hit a really bad patch a month or so ago and I was so blessed to receive good counsel from Ra3rei. She gave me an analogy that resonated strongly with me and has been an amusing (encouraging) thought ever since. She likened it to a bird feeder (I have and enjoy the past time of feeding the birds and my pup enjoys running the squirrels off). Some birds come and they eat the seed and fly off to other feeders more to their liking. Some birds come and they eat up all your food and never leave so much as a peep. The other birds (like the mourning dove) eat your seed and stick around to give you a sweet song to cheer your heart! I try very hard to be that singing bird .. truth is that I love the seed and giving a few "notes" to bless a heart is not difficult. I have been criticized in the past of "liking" too much but whatever .. like my fat little mourning doves, I love the seed even if it is not all cracked corn :)
So blessings today to all my fellow bench sitters :)
