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Do you embark on dangerous missions? Do you wield a sword or rob banks? Me neither. We writers usually leave that sort of thing to the pros...our characters.
On the other hand, my hubby is a risk-taker. He does barrel rolls on his Sky Ski, and jumps triples off the diving board. For his recent birthday, he did a tandem jump out of an airplane.
People may assume I live vicariously through him, but I don't. I have no desire to do those things. Not even a little. My bucket list includes tamer options, like visiting Alaska and Mount Rushmore.
As I watched my hubby hurtle toward the ocean at 120 miles per hour, an idea hit me: some writers may live vicariously through other people, and even through their characters. But what if other people are living vicariously through you, the writer?
Yes, you.
Imagine all the folks out there who want to write down their thoughts, but don't. Or wish they could share stories, but think they can't.
If you're putting words on the page, or on the screen, or in a blog post, you're doing what other people wished they would do. If you've gathered the courage to submit your work, or if you've taken the leap into indie publishing, you're putting your heart and soul out there for others to read and offer judgement. That takes a parachute full of courage.
The next time you feel as if you don't have guts, or that everyone else is wild and adventurous, remember this: others are watching you. They may even be inspired by you. And maybe, just maybe, someone is living vicariously through you.
(Here's my hubby on his tandem jump)
Are you a risk taker? Do you live vicariously through someone else? Or do you feel like someone else lives vicariously through you? Have you ever jumped out of an airplane? Is it on your bucket list?