Do you really want to confuse those folks that park in the S & I thread?

While rummaging around through some various topics, I happened to notice a couple of them about people feeling intimidated when looking at someone's profile.

This sort of hits home for me, because I've been on the receiving end of this epithet more than a few times -- "My friend likes you but she's intimidated by your writing." That kind of thing.

And I'm not buying it. It makes no sense. So I can write a little bit. People have different talents and abilities, and writing is one of mine. Playing hockey is the other, and that's all I've got.

So, I've never climbed a mountain, I've never jumped out of a plane, I've never cooked anything successfully (i.e., without causing ninth degree burns and radiation sickness) unless a microwave was involved, I've never fought a lion (a beagle once, but let's not get into that), I've never been a surgeon or a fireman or an astronaut, I've never been able to play the tuba, and I've never built a suspension bridge.

There are people who can do all of those things, and I don't see any reason to be intimidated by any of them.

Why? Because it's not about what you're good at (or bad at), it's about who you are.

Me? Intimidating? I laugh at the very idea of typing this sentence. Ha ha ha.

Yeah, I can throw a few words together, and even put enough of them in sequence to make a few books. That doesn't give me any special powers or abilities, it just means I get to get to tell people some stories.

Why in the world would anyone be intimidated by that?

But how many lurkers are out there who have never said a word? Sometimes I wonder.

My brilliant wisearse answer...all of them.

Isn't that the essence of lurking?! They don't interact with people, they watch from the darkened recesses. Of course they haven't said a word; they're lurkers silly!

In an effort to be of some assistance, I started a thread for the lurkers to hang out in, but I don't think it's going to be very helpful seems our very definition prevents us from posting.

I have this idea (and, yes, as a writer, I have LOTS of insane ideas, so this is perfectly acceptable) that there is someone out there right now who is reading everything I write, and who would dearly love to contact me because she is completely convinced that we are made for each other.

But will her belief be strong enough to overcome her fear of becoming known? Ah, there's the conflict.

And, with my luck, she is probably my ex-wife's cousin or something.