Your Lead Needs To Be From The Heart

Since this is an opinion piece, I’ll start by offering my opinion. Oftentimes the best lead in a story is one that comes from the heart.

Now I’m just spitballing here, but I firmly believe a writer has three primary and essential tools in their writing arsenal. Brave hearts, open minds, and indomitable spirits.

The indomitable spirit thing is what keeps our butts in the chair and helps us continue writing. It’s an unflagging grit and determination to share our thoughts, our experiences and our convictions with the entire world.

It’s a passionate desire burning inside all of us which compels us to speak. And despite getting pummelled by failure after failure, we somehow find a way to soldier on. Our indomitable spirit is what helps us work through the frustration and exasperation and do it all again regardless of the fact we feel no one is listening.

As a writer, we learn to rely on our indomitable spirit every single day of our life.

And as creatives, we’ve learned to have an open mind. Yes, a lot of us are opinionated (I am) and often look at things from comfortable perspectives, but that doesn’t mean we’re not open to differing opinions.

We all know each member of the Human condition possesses their own brain (well most do) and as such have their own way of looking at things, but a writer often experiences multifaceted ways of viewing what’s going on around them.

We seldom look at a tree and just see a tree. Where others see tragedy and hopelessness, we often witness strength and inspiration.

We’re open to ideas that suggest a place of uncomfortably because we understand we can’t reside in our comfort zones too long. Becoming stale or stagnant is not something we ever want to experience.

A writer is willing to open their mind to unlimited sources of raw data streaming into their thoughts each day. They never stop to pass judgment, but simply revel in all the wondrous new thoughts they’re thinking.

It doesn’t matter if what they witness is the complete opposite of who they are or how they think, a writer is willing to at least view things from a nonjudgemental position at first.

With us, we firmly believe in living and let live. As such, we are willing to give you an opportunity to show us you’re a true member of the enlightened Human society.

Until you prove otherwise.

And then, we’ll be more than happy to share with you and the rest of the world our opinions on how you made us feel.

Because as creatives, as writers, we each possess brave hearts. Some of us wear our hearts on our sleeves. And because we do we often take emotional beatings others would never be able to manage.

But as many times as we get our feelings crushed, we also discover we have hearts that seem to have untapped sources of emotional strength and passion.

What’s unique about us is that we don’t just experience life, we feel our way through life.

We draw on feelings of the heart when we wish to create something fresh and uplifting, and even when we produce something anguished and tormented.

We not only understand or are logically connected with emotions of our own heart, as creatives, we understand how other creatives are feeling or at the very least, should be feeling.

And a lot of us write to those feelings because we know it will resonate.

If we want another creative to pay attention to something we’ve done, we know it’s best to lead with something from the heart. Sure, we can send a message steeped in logical thought and refreshing perspectives. Or we can write about the human spirit and point out the indomitable stoicism of our own struggles and others.

But the lead most of us creatives should start with needs to be the one which plays such a large part in who we are and what we do.

Our hearts.

I believe the best way to end this piece is by the way I opened it, from my heart to yours.

Peace Brothers And Sisters,

Paul Gene Barnett

Let’s keep in touch: paul@pgbarnett.com

© P.G. Barnett, 2020. All Rights Reserved.