This is What Scares Me

You may have noticed that Halloween has been noticeably absent from my digital spaces this month. If you haven't, now you know.

Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of Halloween. As we say, in my hometown of Fall River, I’m a bit “a-scared” about everything related to it.

I suppose the cute ghost emoji 👻 is fine, but that’s about as far as my enthusiasm goes.

I'm especially freaked out by anything connected to the horror genre, and I reserve my highest level of fright for anything vampire-related. I don’t even like Count Chocula and The Count from Sesame Street. 🫣🫣🫣

This aversion might seem at odds with the badass image you’ve come to associate with my persona, but here we are; the truth is out there.

And here’s another truth bomb. When it comes to writing, it’s WAAAAYYYY better to go with what you know and — more importantly — write about what you like!

I know this sounds obvious, and you probably think, “Judi, you are scraping the bottom of the writing advice barrel today!” But I see SO MANY WRITERS fall into the trap of writing what they think they "should" be writing about, which usually means jumping on the latest trend or bandwagon in support of or against some Big Thing. It’s like trying to fit into a pair of skinny jeans when you know you’re more of a sweatpants person! (I’m Team Yoga Pants for those keeping score at home.)

Chasing trends can turn your writing into a forced mess that screams “inauthentic.” Trust me, staying true to your voice is way more rewarding and will get you a better reaction than yet another tired, hot take on that viral cat video!

So, ditch the bandwagon and let your real self shine!

Now, excuse me, as I go into hiding until November 1st.

P.S. If you’re finding it hard to voice your big ideas or they seem to be swimming against the current, I’m here to help. Just send me an email at judi@judi411.com, and let’s schedule a time to chat.