Sunday, December 9, 2007

Bob's Your Uncle

You know how you agonize over every word in an article, writing your transitions then moving a paragraph and having to rewrite your transition? Transcribing every word of an interview to get the perfect quote, and squeezing in a few extras for good measure? Googling every tidbit of information and every fact to get a good background knowledge of the topic so you don’t write something foolish?

No? You don’t? Hmm. Maybe I’ve been doing this wrong all along. I just got the most wonderful note from an editor about my latest article. She loved my article about modern homemaking. I did check a few pages Google brought me, read over a few notes from some previous essays I’d written for a college class, and tried two different POVs for the article, but overall I’d say it was one of the easier ones to write. After all, I do live this, so I pretty much know what I’m talking about.

But the interesting thing to me was that she said I had really found my “voice.”

Really? That old thing? I knew where it was all along, I was just trying to keep it out of sight, like you might hide your embarrassing Uncle Bob from your friends.

Come to find out, people really like ol’ Bob.

Well, shoot. It’d be easier to let him out when company comes over than to hide him in the back room with a bag of pork rinds and a videotape of the “wardrobe malfunction” Superbowl.

Does this mean my informative, research-intensive article writing days are over? I imagine not. But I sure hope people (editor-type people) still like my “voice” in the days ahead. It would make this writing business a lot easier!

Okay. Basking in the love right now. Bring it on –

8 comments:

Amy Mullis said...

"Free Uncle Bob!"
"Free Uncle Bob!"

Amy flicks her Bic and holds lighter aloft in honor of Uncle Bob who turns out to be everybody's favorite uncle after all.

Carolyn Erickson said...

LOL! Amy, you always were Bob's favorite!

Just watch out for his "pull my finger" trick. You do NOT want to fall for that one. :P

Anonymous said...

What a great post. I so resemble that first paragraph that it's scary.

I chant along with amydoodle,
"Free Uncle Bob!"
"Free Uncle Bob!"
Let Bob be heard. :)

Mysti Guymon-Reutlinger said...

Fantastic, Carolyn! You have an incredible voice and definitely need to let it free!

Anonymous said...

That is so wonderful. It gives me something to aspire to -- getting a note like that!

Jessica R. said...

I'm always caught off guard when people tell me they like my "voice."
When I'm struggling to shut myself out of what I'm writing I have to remind myself that people almost care more about the voice than the content.
Writing is the most fun when you really let your voice sing.
Just discovered the blog and I'm loving it!

Amy Mullis said...

Dropping in to say, "You're It!" You've been tagged!

Karen Fisher-Alaniz said...

Go Bo-ob...Go bo-ob! So does that mean we are only allowed "one" voice? If so, what do I do with the others in my head?

Karen
aka Karen-bob (not related)