Dear "Unheard Writer"

Q: I have been quiet for most of my life. People called me introverted, some misunderstood my silence as arrogance, and some felt like I was too clueless and naive to have a point. I didn't argue much, even when I felt like I was being put down. I didn't explain myself when people misunderstood me. Didn't take up my space when people crossed their boundaries. So most of my life, I had been taken for granted, and when maturity hit me like a tornado swirling my whole world around, I finally put my guards down and stood up for myself, speaking all my heart out. As a result, I was unheard because people believed my words had no gravitas, no significance. And this feeling of being unheard pushes me into the domain of writing. And now, cut to the present, I wonder if my long silence has shaped my writing into something too quiet to be noticed. Does a writer need loudness or boldness to be read? Or can a writing that comes from pauses and unsaid things still matter in a world that seems to reward noise?

-Unheard writer

A: Dear "Unheard Writer"

While reading your question, I felt like a part of me was sitting behind the screen, writing the dilemma that she faced for many years. The feeling of being unheard, even when you shout in a room full of people, yet no one gives a single f.ck about what you say. Or in a family discussion, when your younger brother is more encouraged to speak rather than you because your parents believe that his words have more 'gravitas' than yours. Or in a workplace, where noise is more preferred than the seriousness of the issue, therefore most of the loud people take away all the praise, even when they lack depth. Or among a group of friends, who, for a long time, had considered you a 'no voice' and thus never acknowledged your words. Cut to short: when you are the 'unheard blacksheep', the one no one listens to.

Now, what do you do in that situation?

I guess, dear, there are many people like that, who have had this feeling that nobody cares about their thoughts. And guess what, they still carry on with their life, either becoming the 'highly-opinionated-person' who has this self-righteous air, always believing that they have something to add in the ongoing conversation, or a 'withdrawn-self-muted-person' who has finally accepted their shadowed voice, convincing themselves that their voice has no place, so it's better to be quiet.

If I talk about myself, I won't deny the fact that my life's circumstances forced me to become a former-type-person that I talked about, many times, because most of my life I had been the latter-kind-of-person. I felt like when I had to give my voice everywhere, even when it was not required. And then the domino effect happens because when no one listens, you try to make them listen, thus imposing your views and making you a dogmatic person in their eyes. And guess what, you diminish your words' strength in everybody's life.

Thankfully, I am unlearning this part.

The best part about you is that you haven't become like any of them. Instead, you have chosen a path, a productive way, to unleash all your thoughts. And now coming back to your question: a writer needs to be loud to make their writing be heard. The answer is short 'NO'.

You know why you think that your long silence has made your writing too quiet, because even in this domain, you are expecting people to hear you. Yeah, this might sound strange, but the reality is, you started writing because writing gave you a path of expressing yourself, without any constraint. Here, there is no room full of people who undervalued your thoughts. It's like a straight road without any cars, giving you full control of speed. And when you are racing alone, you just can't expect a reward at the end, right?

Writing is just like that. It never gives you instant rewards. And to be honest, writing is not at all about rewards. It's about reaching those voices who feel exactly like you feel. It's not about upgrading your followers or a kind of influencer race, where the highest numbers mean the more valuable you are. Yes, loudness does create reactions, attention, and ripple, but a writing that comes from pauses and unsaid things creates meaning, everlasting presence, and an understanding that lingers longer than noise.

What you're creating here is not for a short-term impact; it is about making connections with people who feel their voice is too naive to be heard. And dear 'unheard writer', it will take some time. Your writing is not too quiet to be unheard, it's too deep to resonate with people who think and feel too deeply. And eventually, you will reach these people, slowly but surely. Have full faith in your words because someday, someone will be thankful for sharing your writing with them. And you know what, a single thanks for your writing is a whole lot better than thousands of views. Because if you can make an impact in a single life, that means you have already made an impact on one thousand lives. Because advice and words travel faster than you realize.

So write up your whole heart out, even when no one is reading, even when no one is listening, even when no one is caring.

Because you just need that 'one attention', that 'one person', that 'one reader', who can entirely change the whole course of your life. And remember that 'one reader' is just there. Maybe in a different queue right now, but eventually, they will also find the queue that points in your direction.

With love,

AY