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EXPRESS YOURSELF
Write the Tale That Scares You
These words from Emmy Award winner Michaela Coel changed my perspective on creativity
Michaela Coel came for my entire soul in her Emmy speech.
Unlike the usual hats off to God and thank yous to mom, the I May Destroy You star had a message specifically for writers:
Write the tale that scares you, that makes you feel uncertain, that isn’t comfortable. I dare you. In a world that entices us to browse through the lives of others to help us better determine how we feel about ourselves, and to in turn feel the need to be constantly visible, for visibility these days seems to somehow equate to success — do not be afraid to disappear. From it. From us. For a while. And see what comes to you in the silence.
The message came at a time when I needed it most. After my first year of “putting myself out there” with my writing, I had started to hide, to cower. I felt dejected too many times from editors who ignored me like a hot boy on campus. I felt frustrated by friends who I felt were no longer supporting me as they did in my first days of publishing. I felt like I had nothing of substance to say. I felt very “woe is me.” And as a result, I went to other forms of joy — err, escape — than the paper.
