Girl, just write the words already!
Ok, so most of you know that I've been passionate about writing in some shape or form for most of my life. When I was growing up, I loved to read other people's writing (seriously... like every tween girl in the early 90s, The Babysitters Club series was my favorite). I've still got my beloved yet tattered 7th-grade (aka 1992) copy of To Kill A Mockingbird, one of my all-time favorite works. And even though its cover has been taped back together more times than I can count, I just can't bring myself to part with it. Did I also mention I have a thing for nostalgia?
I loved to write poetry, fiction, essays, you name it. My 6th-grade teacher, Mrs. Donley, had us complete regular writing projects. Each month had a theme, and various elements you had to include, such as an essay about a historical figure or event; an interview-style write-up with someone famous related to that theme; a poem; letters to someone from that era we'd want to meet; and lots of others, but you get the idea. I always loved those assignments, I put an enormous amount of effort into them, and my creativity shone like a diamond (#humblebrag if I may).
A poem I wrote about my maternal grandmother was published when I was in 8th grade, with enough excitement and pride coursing through my veins, to seal my future career in journalism. I followed that dream intently, with a clear focus on knowing exactly what I wanted to do before I was even out of high school. I graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in journalism and mass communication from Drake University, one of the top magazine journalism programs in the country.
I persistently chased the editor of The Iowan magazine until he finally caved and gave me my first internship the summer after my freshman year of college. I worked there for nearly a year, with more bylines than I could count in the front of each month's issue nearly consistently. Then I went to work for Midwest Living for two years, a regional publication where I honed my fact-checking skills and was able to participate in all sorts of projects (test kitchens are fun... food magazines really do work on the recipes they publish). I worked hard, and after a second try, managed to snag my dream internship: National Geographic Traveler. I owe much gratitude to my professor, advisor, and mentor, Patricia Prijatel, who tirelessly helped me achieve my dream. It was an incredibly fun six months in DC!
After graduation, I became an assistant editor at a now-defunct publication in Casper, Wyoming, before moving to suburban New Jersey to work for a decently-sized publication firm where I assisted on a variety of different magazines. I grew tired of that rat race fairly quickly (#NYCwasn'tforme), and moved to Virginia, where I shifted gears and worked as a special sections editor and features writer for a daily newspaper. While I loved what I did, and was given a large leeway in terms of creative license to write what I was passionate about (as long as it fell within the scope of our paper), I burned out quickly.
I've won many awards for my writing and editing, both personally and professionally. The plastic bin that holds a copy of every single one of my bylines, from 8th grade through my professional career, offers a walk down memory lane each time I open it. I was fortunate enough to do some incredibly awesome things during my career (interviewing Lynne Cheney at the Vice President's home at the Naval Observatory in DC is pretty high on that list).
I always struggled with perfectionism when I was writing. The hardest thing I ever had to do was learn how to edit my own work... paring your own words down is a lot harder than it looks. I was never good at just being done with something, but I learned to get there. Well, sort of. Deadlines and press operators will do that to you. Since I left journalism in 2007 and moved into outdoor education, I've worked on a few writing projects here and there, but for the most part, have put my byline to sleep. My perfectionism, Type-A anxiety just takes over, and makes it nearly impossible to write sometimes. That's why this blog never got going the first time I tried in 2014. But, I started taking anti-anxiety meds just under a year ago, and they have seriously changed my life. I worry less, the panic attacks I was having nearly every week have almost disappeared, and recently I've been able to start writing again.
I've been working hard to let go of my perfectionism and live by the mantras "good enough, not perfect;" "done is good enough;" and "don't let perfect be the enemy of the good." I've made significant progress already (this is blog #3 in the past month!), and hope 2019 brings even more. I've learned to just write, focus less on weaving the perfect yarn or waxing poetic about a given subject, not worry about what others think, and just share my story and my words.
I hope you'll come along with me on this journey of re-discovering my love of writing. This blog will be part one, and attempting to write a chapter of a book will be part two.
Let's finish up with a quick check-in on my 40-before-40 list:
✓: Listen to only podcasts for a month. Wahoo! Today marks the end of that month, and man, am I hooked! I added even more podcast series today to my ever-growing list of things to listen to on my commute. And, I've checked off one item, which means it's now my 39-before-40 list. 😀
✓: Sent off the paperwork to renew my passport
✓: Finished my first of 10 books for the year, called Dispatches From Pluto by Richard Grant
✓: Research continues as I plan all the trips on my list
Until next time!
I loved to write poetry, fiction, essays, you name it. My 6th-grade teacher, Mrs. Donley, had us complete regular writing projects. Each month had a theme, and various elements you had to include, such as an essay about a historical figure or event; an interview-style write-up with someone famous related to that theme; a poem; letters to someone from that era we'd want to meet; and lots of others, but you get the idea. I always loved those assignments, I put an enormous amount of effort into them, and my creativity shone like a diamond (#humblebrag if I may).
A poem I wrote about my maternal grandmother was published when I was in 8th grade, with enough excitement and pride coursing through my veins, to seal my future career in journalism. I followed that dream intently, with a clear focus on knowing exactly what I wanted to do before I was even out of high school. I graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in journalism and mass communication from Drake University, one of the top magazine journalism programs in the country.
I persistently chased the editor of The Iowan magazine until he finally caved and gave me my first internship the summer after my freshman year of college. I worked there for nearly a year, with more bylines than I could count in the front of each month's issue nearly consistently. Then I went to work for Midwest Living for two years, a regional publication where I honed my fact-checking skills and was able to participate in all sorts of projects (test kitchens are fun... food magazines really do work on the recipes they publish). I worked hard, and after a second try, managed to snag my dream internship: National Geographic Traveler. I owe much gratitude to my professor, advisor, and mentor, Patricia Prijatel, who tirelessly helped me achieve my dream. It was an incredibly fun six months in DC!
After graduation, I became an assistant editor at a now-defunct publication in Casper, Wyoming, before moving to suburban New Jersey to work for a decently-sized publication firm where I assisted on a variety of different magazines. I grew tired of that rat race fairly quickly (#NYCwasn'tforme), and moved to Virginia, where I shifted gears and worked as a special sections editor and features writer for a daily newspaper. While I loved what I did, and was given a large leeway in terms of creative license to write what I was passionate about (as long as it fell within the scope of our paper), I burned out quickly.
I've won many awards for my writing and editing, both personally and professionally. The plastic bin that holds a copy of every single one of my bylines, from 8th grade through my professional career, offers a walk down memory lane each time I open it. I was fortunate enough to do some incredibly awesome things during my career (interviewing Lynne Cheney at the Vice President's home at the Naval Observatory in DC is pretty high on that list).
I always struggled with perfectionism when I was writing. The hardest thing I ever had to do was learn how to edit my own work... paring your own words down is a lot harder than it looks. I was never good at just being done with something, but I learned to get there. Well, sort of. Deadlines and press operators will do that to you. Since I left journalism in 2007 and moved into outdoor education, I've worked on a few writing projects here and there, but for the most part, have put my byline to sleep. My perfectionism, Type-A anxiety just takes over, and makes it nearly impossible to write sometimes. That's why this blog never got going the first time I tried in 2014. But, I started taking anti-anxiety meds just under a year ago, and they have seriously changed my life. I worry less, the panic attacks I was having nearly every week have almost disappeared, and recently I've been able to start writing again.
I've been working hard to let go of my perfectionism and live by the mantras "good enough, not perfect;" "done is good enough;" and "don't let perfect be the enemy of the good." I've made significant progress already (this is blog #3 in the past month!), and hope 2019 brings even more. I've learned to just write, focus less on weaving the perfect yarn or waxing poetic about a given subject, not worry about what others think, and just share my story and my words.
I hope you'll come along with me on this journey of re-discovering my love of writing. This blog will be part one, and attempting to write a chapter of a book will be part two.
Let's finish up with a quick check-in on my 40-before-40 list:
✓: Listen to only podcasts for a month. Wahoo! Today marks the end of that month, and man, am I hooked! I added even more podcast series today to my ever-growing list of things to listen to on my commute. And, I've checked off one item, which means it's now my 39-before-40 list. 😀
✓: Sent off the paperwork to renew my passport
✓: Finished my first of 10 books for the year, called Dispatches From Pluto by Richard Grant
✓: Research continues as I plan all the trips on my list
Until next time!
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