I’m shy. Sometimes I can hide it. Other times strangers just think I’m reserved/snobbish. Online, it means I lurk rather than comment–and that’s a shame. It’s ungracious. Out of their generosity people share their thoughts, info, themselves, and I respond with silence. When I do comment, I worry my well meant words will be misread and cause offence. So I’m mostly silent. Breaking through shyness is rather like scratching away at a carapace, where I’m the soft sea creature inside and simultaneously renewing the shell even as I struggle to get out. One of the few places I feel comfortable online is Absolute Write watercooler, and I recommend it to anyone who writes (anything, blogs included) or who dreams of writing.