Your stories are personal – and the more personal they are, the bigger a risk you take when you lay them out in front of people, all your words in what you hope are the proper order. When people reject that, they’re not only rejecting the work you put into writing, but a slice of your history and identity.

It’s pretty scary stuff. So sometimes, maybe, you try to hold stuff back. I know I have a few lines - they’re pretty far out there and, honestly, the name of my game here seems to be Writing About Embarrassing Moments and Nail Polish so it isn’t like we’re running up against many of my boundaries. But there are a few things I still regard as utterly private. I think I’m not the only one who has those private things. And then it gets even more scary - because you have to negotiate sharing the personal so you can get that connection (which is the most addicting payoff ever) without alienating people.

It’s definitely a tightrope walk; it feels dangerous when you don’t have your mental balance.

I’m not complaining when I talk about this stuff. Because, holy shit, you guys, as scary as it can be when it’s hard, writing for you is such a rush.

That’s part of the payoff of confessional blogging, for me. The idea that we can reach through our screens to each other is life changing.