Write about something that worries you

A pessimist, optimist and realist continue their previous discussion about writing. Last time around they were talking about writing about something they're enjoying.

Pessimist: I'm much more comfortable talking about all the things I worry about. It just comes naturally. I'm literally worried about everything right now. Will I have a job in tech in five years? What the heck is AI doing to our industry? Do I really need to worry about improving my coding skills when the AI agents will just do it all for me? Worry after worry after worry. It's exhausting!

Optimist: I'm hearing you! There's a lot of things to be worried about. I think it's important to share these worries and get them out in the open. Writing about a worry can travel further than we might initially think. Others might be worried about what we're worried about yet aren’t in a position to express it. So worry writing might be the thing we and someone else needs to help articulate our feelings. And others could riff write on that worry to enhance their empathy skills. Fears can turn into hope.

Realist: I think there's a balance to be found here. It's probably unhealthy and exhausting for us to express all our worries in public, in the form of writing. Yet I do agree that worry writing is a good way for people to come together around a topic of concern. In fact, that shared human condition is a huge catalyst for many topics. So writing about something that worries you is a treasure trove of writing opportunity, as long as we don't get too caught up in them. And how do we avoid confusing a worry with a rant? On reflection, writing about worries is perhaps a tool for letting go.

The flip side of writing about a worry over something we're enjoying is interesting. Yet what about all the things that annoy us? There are frustrations everywhere in the world of tech that need to be written about. Our three writers will share more about that in a Moment.