I first met Julie at BlissDom Canada this past October, she won a makeover from The Marilyn Denis Show. What an incredible way to kick off such a fantastic blogging conference!!! A few things caught my attention about Julie… #1 she’s from BC and anyone from my home Province is OK in my books and #2 she’s probably just about as bubbly and outgoing as I am.

Today I reached out to my friends to ask for their help, I’m suffering with writer’s block at this particular moment in time. Shocking, I know!! So like all good friends, Julie was the 1st to send me an article she wrote for me to post. 🙂

Thanks Julie for being the person to supply me with my 1,000th blog post!

I sometimes forget that the words I share on the web are actually being read. In fact, I think we all do. As a blogger writer, I write my words for me, and me alone. The world I create online is just a stream of thoughts, some perfectly true, others, my perspective, which could make them untrue from your point of view.

But, and this is the important part, since it is my world, and I invite you in (or don’t invite you in) it is under my control, and built to support my story.

My story. Not your story.

That means that if you don’t like what I have to say, I would prefer you wander your little mind off my blog and take your opinions elsewhere.

As a writer I do my very, very best to share enough information for you to understand my story.

But, I’m not perfect, and I am not a perfect writer. Sometimes you will not fully understand what I am saying, but that doesn’t mean I have opened up my world for you to destroy it. That does not mean that the cracks there are for you to wedge open. This is not investigative journalism, this is not for you to touch.

But destroy it you do. Like a pin to my balloon, you trample your dirty feet over my world. I create stories and ideas with my writing. And when you don’t understand, well, it makes me sad. It makes me confused, and hurt and I feel weakened.

I know not everyone will like and support me. I get that, I wear big girl panties, but nor do I understand why those “unsupporters” feel the need to publicly hang me.

In my world they do this. To my thoughts and opinions.

If I were standing in a room and telling my story, would you stand up in the crowd and demean my ideas? Would you make it about you? Would you take my talking stick and cut me off mid sentence?

Or, perhaps, would you use that instance to take me aside and speak to me one on one, or just let it sit and allow this to be a moment where your values are further defined, even if it means they drift farther from mine.

Just because there is a comment box at the end of my posts, doesn’t mean I am opening up the opportunity for cruelty, or setting the stage for a “calling out.”

Your cat calls and gossip don’t help me to feel supported when I become vulnerable and share my thoughts.

And if you really think you are the one to stand up and stomp on my thoughts, don’t do it in my world – start your own: become a blogger. Wear the shoe, and see how it fits.

Oh, and don’t forget to keep that comment box open!

~ Julie Nowell

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