I Want to Read YOUR Post!

A post for Trust 30 … a 30-day writing challenge I’m participating in.
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Today’s Prompt:

Imitation is Suicide. Insist on yourself; never imitate. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Write down in which areas of your life you have to overcome these suicidal tendencies of imitation, and how you can transform them into a newborn you – one that doesn’t hide its uniqueness, but thrives on it. There is a “divine idea which each of us represents” – which is yours? (Author: Fabian Kruse)

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My Response:

The area that I imitate others the most … is when writing. I realize I do if for a number of reasons …

  • I like what they wrote.

  • I want them to like me.

  • I think it will prevent failure.

  • I like them and want to be like them.

  • I think if it worked for them, it will work for me.

  • Imitating seems easier than finding my own voice.

  • I think what they wrote is better than what I can come up with..

    ..

But Emerson is saying … Imitation is Suicide. Really?

I know he’s right. As a writer, I need to write from my own heart. I don’t need to reinvent the wheel. I can learn from others. I can gather ideas. I can be inspired by others. But then I need to be true to myself.

I need to be true to me. You need to be true to you.

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So do you write as yourself? I want to learn to know my readers when they are writing as themselves.

If you are a blogger, leave a link to one of your blog posts that you feel is uniquely you. You being you … writing from your heart.

If you aren’t a blogger … leave a link to a post you’ve read that you think is unique and true to the writer.

Looking forward to reading what YOU wrote.

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I’ll go first in the comments.
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write from my heart.
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  • http://www.JanetOberholtzer.com Janet Oberholtzer

    A post that I feel is me … both the writing and what it’s about … is “I Could Run Forever.”
    http://www.janetober.com/2011/02/07/i-could-run-forever/

  • http://katdish.net katdish

    Well, heck Janet. I think pretty much all of my blog posts are uniquely me. Different aspects of me, but me all the same. I wrote a post this week about writing honestly: http://katdish.net/2011/06/why-i-hate-writing-part-9-honesty/

    It addresses my frustration with dishonest writing.

    • http://www.JanetOberholtzer.com Janet Oberholtzer

      Kat … and that’s what I like about you. You know how to be YOU … I’m still learning. 
      Thanks for sharing a link!

  • Veronica

    “Mistakes, Experience, and Things I Know to be True” is a post I wrote in July of last year, but it embodies the core of my being.  http://www.veronicamonique.com/mistakes-experience-and-things-i-know-to-be-true/

    • http://www.JanetOberholtzer.com Janet Oberholtzer

      Love your post Veronica – thanks for sharing.
      Especially like the fun memory of The Magic School Bus … I used to watch that all the time with my boys. Ms Frizzle rocks!

  • http://shawnsmucker.com Shawn Smucker

    Today I encouraged my readers to stop editing their life and start living it:

    http://shawnsmucker.com/2011/06/10/1000-words-a-day/

    And I’m not sure that I agree that imitation is suicide. I think imitation is how we learn EVERYTHING. Obviously if you get stuck there, that’s not good, but most of the things I’ve learned about writing, most of the things I’ve learned about my own voice, came after attempting to imitate others.

    • http://www.JanetOberholtzer.com Janet Oberholtzer

      Good points Shawn … my problem is sometimes (too often) I get stuck there. 
      Thanks for the link … love your post!

  • http://twitter.com/beckywoodh beckywoodh

    I can more easily point out the posts that weren’t “me.” They’re haunting. I can relate to the feeling of “litterary suicide.”

  • http://kclanderson.com KCLAnderson (Karen)

    They say there really aren’t any new ideas out there…the newness (or difference) comes in how they are interpreted and expressed.

    Write what you know.I wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. I spent many years in the plastics industry trade press trying to fit myself into mold (no pun intended) that just didn’t fit! When that ended I thought I’d never write again because I thought I didn’t know anything except plastics (and even that I didn’t know very well…)Eventually I started freelancing. I had various clients for whom I did business-to-business writing and I also wrote articles for local magazines. I started to understand where my strengths were this way: when I got a job and realized that I had to look up on the internet what others had written about the same subject, I knew it wasn’t the right job for me.I’m good at telling other people’s stories and I am a master at telling my own. I’d like to think that my blog and my book are as unique as I am…the stories are both unique AND universal and I think that’s why they are appealing. The themes may not be brand new, but I tell them my way. And so like katdish said, I’d like to think that my blog posts are unique (probably some more than others).

    Here’s one that I like a lot: http://www.kclanderson.com/the-quality-of-my-tears

    • http://www.JanetOberholtzer.com Janet Oberholtzer

      And that’s why I like you too … you are you … in real life and in your writing. So glad I have the opportunity to learn from you. 

      And the post you linked, which is all about crying/tears … gosh do I need to learn from that …

  • Anonymous
    • http://www.JanetOberholtzer.com Janet Oberholtzer

      Hi Tyler, 
      Great post … I’ll be sure to have my three college-age sons read it :)  

  • Interruption Nico

    This is a great post.  Also it is very nice of you to want to read one of our posts!  These are my word and my thoughts:  copyright protected, Interruption blog.  Thanks.
    http://interruption-interruption.blogspot.com/2011/05/thoughts-on-holocaustsimilarities-in_05.html

    • http://www.JanetOberholtzer.com Janet Oberholtzer

      Love learning to know others who blog … thanks for sharing a link! 

  • http://www.alise-write.com Alise Wright

    When I started writing seriously, I definitely had a hard time figuring out how to really be ME. I still struggle with that, especially if I’m writing about something that other people that I admire have written about.

    My most “me” post is probably my big gay post. It was one that was really hard for me to post because I know the subject matter is a tough one in the Church, but it was the most close to my heart.

    http://www.alise-write.com/2011/03/my-big-gay-post.html

    • http://www.JanetOberholtzer.com Janet Oberholtzer

      I have to tell you as I thought about blogging friends sharing posts, I thought of you and your big gay post … because that’s you speaking from your heart :) 
      Thanks for sharing!

  • http://bablogthoughts.blogspot.com/ BA

    Here’s a humorous post from a couple of years back which I think may sum up some of my style and who I am…  Thanks for the opportunity to bring it back to the fore.

    http://bablogthoughts.blogspot.com/search/label/Motherhood

    • http://www.JanetOberholtzer.com Janet Oberholtzer

      Thanks for sharing BA! Gotta love those mothering memories … nothing like it in the world.

  • Anonymous

    Here is a post called Large and Small about body image and the problems attached:   http://hisfirefly.blogspot.com/2011/04/large-and-small.html  It was very much me, bravely being me

    • http://www.JanetOberholtzer.com Janet Oberholtzer

      Thanks for stopping by Firefly … and what a heartfelt post you’ve shared, thanks!

  • http://poledancingprofessor.com Lisa Faulkner

    I like how you simply address a similar conflict I struggled with today regarding uniqueness of ideas. I also wrote about reinventing wheels. In one version of my post I ended it with “Be authentic”
    Here’s the blog:  http://poledancingprofessor.com/2011/06/love-notes-may-not-be-unique-but-they-are-divine/

    Though I think my fave is this this one (maybe more because of the experience than the voice of the writing, though it captures my essence): http://poledancingprofessor.com/2011/02/getting-my-s-on-in-the-sand/

    You get to choose which you want to read.  I’m so glad I found this #trust30 challenge.  I feel like I’m part of a great big writing group.

    And I love this idea.  I’m going to borrow & adapt it to connect with more writers. 

  • http://poledancingprofessor.com Lisa Faulkner

    I like how you simply address a similar conflict I struggled with today regarding uniqueness of ideas. I also wrote about reinventing wheels. In one version of my post I ended it with “Be authentic”
    Here’s the blog:  http://poledancingprofessor.com/2011/06/love-notes-may-not-be-unique-but-they-are-divine/

    Though I think my fave is this this one (maybe more because of the experience than the voice of the writing, though it captures my essence): http://poledancingprofessor.com/2011/02/getting-my-s-on-in-the-sand/

    You get to choose which you want to read.  I’m so glad I found this #trust30 challenge.  I feel like I’m part of a great big writing group.

    And I love this idea.  I’m going to borrow & adapt it to connect with more writers. 

  • Denise Smedley

    Good post!  I think it’s ok to learn from other writers, but I felt this post was honest and genuine.

    Here is one of my post: 
    http://madebydenise.blogspot.com/2011/06/afraid-to-do.html

  • http://barefootonsacredground.wordpress.com/ Michi Lantz

    Hi Janet, great post. I love “need to be true to me. You need to be true to you.”

    Here’s my post:
    https://barefootonsacredground.wordpress.com/2011/06/08/five-years/

    In’Lakesh,