One of the most famous movies of all time, and what many consider to be the greatest movie of all time, is 1941’s Citizen Kane, starring Orson Welles. While it is certainly a great movie, and one of my personal favorites, it tends to overshadow Welles’ other great movies.

One of them is The Third Man, released in 1949 and starring Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten, among others. The Third Man is a British film noir set in postwar Vienna. The story centers around a writer named Holly Martins, played by Joseph Cotten, who has come to Vienna to work for his friend Harry Lime, played by Orson Welles.

However, when Harry Lime arrives in Vienna, he discovers that his friend Harry Lime has been killed in an auto accident. He is suspicious of the circumstances and decides to stay in Vienna and investigate.

Orson Welles doesn’t appear until halfway through the movie. Holly Martins is stumbling around the streets of Vienna. He sees a man standing in a doorway, mostly obscured by shadows. He thinks the man in the doorway has been tailing him, and he coaxes him to come out.

Suddenly a women turns on an apartment light above the street, and Martins sees that it’s his friend Harry Lime. After a few moments, the light goes out again, and Lime steps out of the shadows and goes running, with Martins chasing him. It’s one of the famous and enigmatic character entrances in this history of cinema.

Holly Martins was the writer character in The Third Man, but ironically, a lot of real-life writers mirror Harry Lime. He was a guy who loved to stay hidden in the shadows. He didn’t even make an appearance until halfway through.

I find that a lot of writers, especially those in mid-life or later, prefer to stay hidden in the shadows. They have a lot of fear. What if they put their work out there? What if they step out and show the world their talent? Will people like me or accept me? What happens if I succeed? What if, what if, what if?

Well, the truth is that you will never know until you decide to step out of the shadows and see for yourself. Most people stay hidden in the doorways of life, never stepping out into the brave, wonderful world that lies just beyond our comfort and safety.

But when you do, you will find yourself in for the ride of a lifetime.

Daily Question: Have you stepped out of the shadows as a writer, and are you willing to make yourself known so you can impact others with your creative work?