Revealing yourself in your writing

Back when my life was all about painting and drawing, I loved putting a title to my work. That one little thing had so much power. You could really hit the viewer and make them go deep, or you could leave it up to them. I went the deep route, the route that gave anyone looking a pass into my hidden away thoughts and emotions. Then of course, I freaked out about all the looky-loos peaking into my private world. I felt too exposed.

Now I'm a writer. But how much am I sharing or hiding away in storylines? When writers write, where are they drawing from? If you read a single chapter of a history book you'll see that even nonfiction exposes the heart of the writer. Sure, they don't use exclamation points, but let me tell you, they are damn excited about their subject matter.

When you're creating something, anything, do you want to be seen? Or simply watch as others see?

(Note: photo by Kati Garner @stock.xchng, uploaded 12/10/08)