Cinco de mio
NS October 9th, 2007
I was tagged by Charlotte to do this interesting meme, so here goes.
- My five writing strengths
- I’m funny. I know how to describe a situation or person in humorous detail, injecting brevity and laughter into places and spaces where others might not have thought to. I attribute this to being a middle child and having a bit of MCS (middle child syndrome)
- I know the importance of tone. I know how to build up to a crescendo and structure my posts so that interest is peaked at the beginning and keeps my readers going. As a journalist and blogger, I don’t do plot twists and dialogue, but creative non-fiction can involve just as many storytelling aspects and skills as its more highly-regarded literary sister.
- I don’t censor myself. I write how I talk a lot of the time, peppering my writing with phrases I say in real life, either out loud or in my head. I don’t worry about who is reading or what they might think or wonder if I’m sharing too much. I just go for it and put myself out there, as I am. It’s a very freeing thing.
- I’m not afraid of controversy. I will write about topics and situations that others might shy away from for fear of not expressing themselves well or creating a stir or being proven wrong. Even if I’m not an endless fountain of knowledge on a particular subject and raises my ire or grabs my attention, I will speak out and try to learn about it through bantering with others.
- I respect words. I know how much power they have had over me since I learned to read and how much they have influenced my life and the lives of countless others. There isn’t anyone alive who hasn’t been touched or affected by words. I believe that stories are the last art capable of saving us from ourselves and our last hope for global connection, just as our ancestors did with oral history. Words can change a person’s outlook or even their life, forever. The greatest honour I could ever receive would be to do this for someone through my writing, and this is what keeps me inspired to write passionately, intelligently, humorously and creatively.
I tag Jen to do this meme.
