Conversations

I had an odd experience as a writer a few weeks ago. I found myself writing “copy” rather than my more comfortable “blog post,” “essay,” or “fiction story” and I learned a great deal from the experience. Mostly, “never be a copy writer if you can help it,” but I learned something about my other writing in the process: basically I write conversations.

This makes sense on a number of levels. First, it explains why I enjoy blogging as much as I do, and why I write for the blog in the way I do. Blogging is a conversation, I write stuff, you think about it, you comment. Repeat. Or I read something, and I respond with my “part” of the conversation. Secondly, I’ve occasionally been told by recipients of particularly quick emails that I “write just like I talk,” which makes sense given how I type, and how “natural” that is as a communications medium for me. Third and finally, people who’ve read my fiction, routinely comment on the dialog.¹

This may also be why “being a writer” (professionally, creatively) has been a struggle. On some level the writing, even the fiction, is a means to an end. Banging words out on the keyboard for the blog is a means to have a conversation with you, dearest readers; writing fiction is a means to explore ideas and conversations that I couldn’t begin to articulate except through fantasy (on some level.)

When I tried to write knitting patterns, I wrote these essays that were basically me standing up with a finished sweater saying “so if you want to make this, start here, and then do this …” and so forth through the entire sweater. On one hand they were stories, on another it was just me talking.

I don’t know what this means about me, what I write, or how I write. Frankly, I’m not sure I’d like to know much more, but you can draw your own conclusions.

Onward and Upward!