Personal observations on the wonderful world of words
I’ve built a career on writing for others and telling their stories. This space is about me. Sharing my own thoughts is a stretch. I’m programmed as a journalist to keep my opinions to myself. And as a ghost writer for others, my focus is always on finding their voice and helping them express it.
In 2016 I submitted my thesis, “Employing the Unemployable” for my Xavier University Master’s degree in Private Interest and Public Good. It made a strong case based on academic research and interviews and, of course, I believed it was extremely well written. One of my thesis advisers pushed back on me for a reason I never expected. He said, and I paraphrase, “I don’t hear your voice in the paper. You’ve written it as a journalist. I want to hear your opinions, what you believe, what you think needs to be done.” His comments struck a nerve. Except for writing in a journal, which I have done inconsistently since I was a teenager, I had rarely written in my own voice.
My plan is to do that in this space, with a focus on why words and writing mean so much to me and the role they play in our lives, whether we know it or not. Choosing the right clothes can make all the difference in how we feel and what we project to the world. I think it’s the same with words. The words we choose and how we express them reveal so much.
I plan to share my musings on this topic in a variety of ways that at this point, are still unknown to me. It will be an adventure that I’ve avoided until now. Finding not just “the” words, but “my” words and sharing them with visitors to my site.