Written by Brun Crivici | 06 March 2007

It's been a while since I last wrote a letter to the editor and thought I'd better do something seeing as I did promise I'd write something. It's not easy putting pen to paper and coming out with a product that looks good enough for publication. I'm in awe of the guys who can do it. I'm sure I speak for most people when I say I enjoy the writing that appears on this website. Having tried to do it myself, I understand just how difficult it is.

I read The Specusphere regularly and look forward to every new article posted. I don't know of any other site in Australia that has such diverse articles written with such depth of skill. I applaud all contributors. And also let me say that it's great to see new names. The Specusphere seems to be the only web magazine around that doesn't rely on the usual top-of-the-food-chain personalities. It's refreshing that there's an outlet for new writers.

I suppose it's a measure of my appreciation of the website that I wish there was a more regular flow of articles to read. I suppose, like me, many people find themselves wanting in lots of different ways when they attempt to write something, or maybe (again, like me) they just don't have the confidence to go public.

It's a hard thing to do – go public. I look at what I write and think about the people who will eventually read it and I literally shiver in fear. It makes no difference that most people haven't a clue who I am. I've looked at The Specusphere stats and see visitors from all over the world. Sure, not everybody reads all the articles, but that's not the point; the point is that potentially everybody in the world can see what I write. That's scary. Why would anybody want to be a writer and leave themselves open to such scrutiny?

I'd really like to write about sf on tv. Maybe one day I'll get the confidence to do it. For now, I'm afraid I'll just make do with a letter every so often. And even then only if I can muster the courage to send it.

Ed: This article was initially sent as a letter to the editor but I considered it a very valid response to the writing experience. With the permission of the author the original letter was edited to reflect its new status as a feature article.