Boldness--Cupcake Style

So, Blogging Buddies, I did it!!

I shared my writing with my largest audience ever!  Terrifying and exciting all at the same time.  Why do you suppose that is?

Anyway, I wrote a drama for our church's womens' event called "Celebrate You!".  The skit was about how we're like cupcakes.  (Have I ever mentioned before how much I adore cupcakes?  I've decided cupcakes are my writing trademark.  Everything I write at least mentions a cupcake.)  We all have our own individual flavors and we shouldn't be afraid to hide it.  But we do.

Anyway, the event was on Friday.  Over 100 people witnessed my writing unfold upon the stage.  There were laughs.  People clapped at the end.  I would consider that a success.  But what I consider the greatest success is that I was bold enough to write the thing, to give it my pastor's wife to see if she thought it fit with the theme of the event (obviously she did) and the rest is history.

Which has me thinking a lot about why it's so scary sharing our writing with others.  Is it because we're afraid of criticism and rejection?  Of revealing too much of our individual flavors?

I'm at a place with my writing where I either continue to keep it to myself, or I share it boldly.  I have a query letter I'm polishing to begin that fun process on my manuscript.  I have another writing project I'm half-way done with and I want to get feedback on before I get too far into it, but then I'm afraid of what others will think, so the project remains half-written.  I think it's a lot easier to keep that cupcake wrapper on, then to take it off and reveal our flavor to the world.  But that's not living a bold life, just a safe, boring one.

All right, enough with the rambling.  What do you do to overcome your fears and step out in boldness and share your writing and your flavors?  And am I only one obsessed with cupcakes?