I sat in Torah class yesterday writing out these points for a young writer:
* Decide what is most important to you. Is it pleasing family, friends or community? Is it being a great Jew or is it being a great writer? For me, writing trumps everything (after meeting God’s moral demands, and maintaining my health, a livelihood, a religious community and a circle of friends). With the exception of a few relationships and Torah precepts, I’m willing to sacrifice everything for my work.
* Decide who is important to you. Be clear about what you need to do to maintain your most important relationships. Sometimes it is necessary to give up certain relationships so you can have the freedom to write the truth.
* Decide whose approbation you most seek.
I love rabbis. They are my favorite group of people. But I don’t write to gain their approval. I guess I most seek the approval of writers I respect.
I live on the edge. My blogging has cost me numerous friends and membership in four different Orthodox shuls. This was painful but inevitable given who I am.
I think about these issues all the time.
