I enjoy writing. I’ve been told that I’m fairly good at it; at least, my Facebook posts keep people entertained. So much so, in fact, that I’ve been encouraged many times to write a book.

The thought of that scares the snot out of me.

Why? Not because of the work it takes to write a book, or the very possible chance of rejection by publishers, or the fact that I already can barely keep up with all the projects on my desk. The real reason it scares me is this: people on the internet are mean. Awful, even. I often find myself breaking a major rule of Facebook scrolling (Thou Shalt Not Read the Comments), and some of them really upset me. If I write something that is featured online somewhere, would I be able to handle it if people said terrible things about my writing, or my family? Doubtful. But, that hasn’t stopped me from submitting essays I’ve written to online journals, and so far I’ve survived the treacherous comment sections after my pieces were published. Because I would probably forever regret it if I didn’t try, I’ve decided that it’s time to put pen to paper (er, fingers to keyboard?) and write the message that’s been on my heart for a few years.

I’ve already started outlining my ideas so I can begin to craft the first draft of my book. My book. I’m excited, but may throw up. I’ll keep you posted via Facebook. Seriously, though, I have no idea where this will go, but I’m doing it.

Thanks to all who have encouraged me, and hopefully I won’t disappoint anyone (read: disappoint myself). For now, keep your fingers crossed, say a little prayer for me, and stay tuned…