Get Real!

Cec Murphey, the writer extraordinaire who has written and co-authored several runaway bestsellers, including 90 Minutes in Heaven, shared these excellent thoughts recently on The Writer's View. We were discussing the issue of how to be more authentic and vulnerable in our writing. Cec says:

 

"Of course it's difficult to be real (another word for vulnerable). And let's not make this a gender issue. It may be more difficult for males, but that's not a reason to hold back...

 

What would have happened if Moses had used the same argument and not told about killing the Egyptian? Maybe David shouldn't have written Psalm 51. Don't overlook Elijah's dark, depressive experience.

 

For me, being real is the most difficult aspect of writing; it's also the most rewarding. When I'm real (vulnerable, naked, honest, transparent, open), that's when I connect with people who hurt. And yes, I get blasted by a few people. And yes, that hurts, but it doesn't stop me.

 

When other writers open themselves and show their real selves, they give me permission to keep trying, despite my failures. I'm bored with those writers whose illustrations teach us to believe they rush from victory to victory and never fail.

 

One final curmudgeonly comment: Reader identification is the mark of good writing in fiction or nonfiction. I can identify with reality; I'm turned off by perfected saints."

 

Great points by Cec, who calls himself a "Curmudgeon of the First Order"! For more information on Cec's ministry or to sign up for his great newsletter, please visit his site at themanbehindthewords.com.