Pushing the Send Button

      In entering contests, sending my work to beta readers or sending back critiques, or even writing a blog post, one of the hardest parts is finding the courage to press send. It's a scary thing. The moment you push that button, your work is there to be read and judged, and there's nothing you can do to get it back.
      I think when I'm working up the courage to push that innocent-looking little button, what I'm really trying to do is prepare myself for possible rejection. I've poured my heart and soul into these words, and now I'm sending them out into a place where they could potentially be torn to shreds. It's a completely valid fear. But if I lived by that, I wouldn't be writing this right now. The thing about writing is that there will be a lot of rejection. No matter what, someone won't be satisfied. And that's okay.
      Facing rejection as a writer is a tricky balancing act. J.K. Rowling was rejected something-teen times before publishing the first Harry Potter book, so rejection isn't necessarily an indicator of quality or lack thereof. However, it's always good to take a look at your blind spots. In this case, rejection-- especially people pointing out one specific issue--can help your work grow.
    The other thing is that most of the time, especially in sending to beta readers, people are really nice. A lot of beta readers are writers themselves, and know how to give a good critique without crushing your soul. Most of the time, you'll get things you did well in addition to what you can fix. As far as blogging goes, I've no doubt that at least one person has run across this site and disliked it. But I'm still here. I'm alive.
       So if you need to close your eyes and scream as you press the button, do it. If you have to curl up on the floor, hold a pillow, and sob uncontrollably for ten minutes after, do it (also get yourself some hot cocoa and take care of yourself). But whatever you do, press that send button. Your writing will thank you for it.

A Simple-ish Explanation of the Cognitive Functions

            For a blog that is supposedly about writing, life, and MBTI, I've posted a lot about life, less about writing, and twice about MBTI.

            As I discovered the MBTI system, I looked up everything I could on everything (like I do when I have a new obsession– I've learned it's a Ni trait, but I digress). But for awhile, I ignored the cognitive functions. Why? Because they were just too darn complicated. I couldn't figure it out, and I couldn't fathom how I'd memorize each type's function combination. I could not for the life of me get a straightforward explanation of them. So, now that I'm older and wiser and actually kind of know what I'm talking about, I'm going to write that explanation.

            There are eight functions. Each has an abbreviation, which is listed below. I've also included a short explanation of the basics each function.

Extraverted Sensing- Se- Often stereotyped as the adrenaline junkie function. Se is all about taking in information in the present moment. It pays attention to the five senses and is aware of the external world.

Introverted Sensing- Si- Si is most closely linked to memory, and to being aware of sensation within one's own body. Si types tend to put trust in the past and what has worked before, which lends towards their reputation of being stubborn and bad with change.

Introverted Intuition- Ni- Ni gets a really good reputation in the MBTI community. It's known on tumblr as "psychic powers." In reality, Ni is all about picking up patterns and applying them to the future. It's used mostly unconsciously, assembling bits of information and putting them together like puzzle pieces, all below conscious understanding.

Extraverted Intuition- Ne- Ne is focused on possibilities- all of the possibilities. My best friend's little sister uses Ne, and hasn't yet developed her second function, and you can see that in the way she talks. She'll jump from idea to idea exhaustingly quickly, with seemingly no connections between them. Ne gathers as much information as possible and looks for relationships between things.

Extraverted Feeling- Fe- Stereotypically hugs and emotional manipulation, Fe seeks external harmony between people. It tries to read the dynamics of a situation and bring people together. Fe focuses on community values, but this doesn't necessarily mean that it uses traditional values. Fe takes the values of the community they belong to to heart, and try to help everyone feel included within them.

Introverted Feeling- Fi- Fi is all about internal values. It's about exploring one's own thoughts and feelings and staying true to them. Fi users tend to work through their feelings internally rather than look for external companionship. They live with the idea of not being able to control everything, but controlling themselves.

Introverted Thinking- Ti- Ti cares about internal logical consistency. It makes an internal framework for how the world works, adjusting when necessary for new information. Ti is analytical and enjoys taking things apart and figuring out why they work. It loves learning and finding the best possible solution, regardless of time.

Extraverted Thinking- Te- Te cares about structuring and ordering the external world through rational thought. It's decisive and efficient, and is very action-oriented. While Ti is content to sit and think about options for hours, Te likes to make a decision and execute it as quickly as possible. Te users tend to be good leaders because of this quality.

            The Judging function are the thinking/feeling ones– Ti, Fi, Te, and Fe. Perceivers will have the introverted versions of these functions, while judgers will have the extraverted versions. These functions primarily affect decision making– passing judgements. The Perceiving functions are Ne, Ni, Se, and Si. They affect how we process and experience the world, and having an extraverted perceiving function makes you a perceiver.

            Everyone has four functions in their stack, but you only need to figure out the first two, and the last two will be the opposite (Opposites are Ni/Se, Fi/Te, Si/Ne, Ti/Fe). Figuring out the functions can be a little complicated, especially if you don't know what they are, so here's a brief sketch of each function.

            Now, on to figuring out your functions! I'm going to use myself as an example. So, because of my obsession with this system, and because I overanalyze things, I got into this black hole of self-doubt a few months ago. What if I'm not actually an INFJ? What if everything I think I know about myself is a lie? So I resolved to determine the problem mathematically. (My method only fed into my doubt at first. My main problem was what if I'm actually a thinker/perceiver because Ti?) I found five different function tests across the internet, and took each of them, writing down my percentage for each function. Then I took the averages of each percentage to figure everything out. I discovered I am, in fact, an INFJ, I just have really strong Ti and social anxiety that impacts my Fe. You don't have to go to these lengths, but it helped me.

            Anyhow, in order to figure out which functions you use, it would be good to take at least one function test, to get a feel, and you kind of need to study the system. A lot. You don't necessarily need to find your dominant function first. I usually figure out thinking/feeling first, then figure out if the function is introverted or extraverted, then determine if the person is more introverted or extraverted. Your dominant function will be introverted if you're an introvert, and vice versa. Your secondary function will be extroverted if you're introverted.

If your dominant function is-

Te or Fe, your secondary function will either be Si or Ni

Ti or Fi, your secondary function will be Ne or Se.

Ni or Si, your secondary function will be Fe or Te.

Ne or Se, your secondary function will be Fi or Ti.

Figure out which dominant and secondary functions best fit you, and then put them together to find your type.

Ni, Fe, Ti, Se- INFJ

Ni, Te, Fi, Se- INTJ

Ne, Fi, Te, Si- ENFP

Ne, Ti, Fe, Si- ENTP

Se, Ti, Fe, Ni- ESTP

Se, Fi, Te, Ni- ESFP

Si, Te, Fi, Ne- ISTJ

Si, Fe, Ti, Ne- ISFJ

Ti, Se, Ni, Fe- ISTP

Ti, Ne, Si, Fe- INTP

Te, Ni, Se, Fi- ENTJ

Te, Si, Ne, Fi- ESTJ

Fe, Ni, Se, Ti- ENFJ

Fe, Si, Ne, Ti- ESFJ

Fi, Ne, Si, Te- INFP

Fi, Se, Ni, Te- ISFP

I'm not sure how much sense this makes, so if you have any questions, please ask them in the comments. I hope I've cleared up some of the confusion around the functions and made it simpler for you. If you want an explanation of the four-letter system and how you can use it for characters, check out my previous post here.