I am a keen observer. I love to watch people interact, follow their dialogue, and cultivate a way to express it into words that entertain…..yes, I like to eavesdrop. While I love my occupation as a writer, there are pitfalls. Everyone assumes they are going to end up in my blog or quite possibly the memoir that I am writing. Get your panties out of a wad, only interesting, funny things appear for public consumption. Don’t do anything interesting or quirky and you are safe.
Unfortunately, my family can’t escape being interesting characters. They are full of writing potential. And while I am respectful of my friends, I can change their names to protect the guilty. It is funny to me the power that I hold with the written word. While on my cruise with thirty-one ladies I graduated from high school with, I heard at least once a day, “now, don’t write about this”. One day, it was repeated over and over by one of my friends – who will remain nameless – probably because she had forgotten she had said it five minutes prior due to the lingering presence of her new friend – Bloody Mary. There is a reason I don’t hang around boring people.
There is a foundation of trust that I hold on to that prevents me from writing about things that would hurt others. I only write to entertain or share from my own experiences never to shame or injure anyone. That isn’t my style, but there is power in the written word. A power that I safeguard.
It never fails that even interviewing homeowners for my article, they will say, “now….this is off the record” as if I am from The New York Times trying to break a big story. It makes me giggle when that happens, but people are generally serious. I have to remind them that this isn’t an expose, simply a piece about their home decor. There will be nothing mentioned about their stripper pole as long it can be removed before the photos. (True story, folks.)
So, my subject matter varies and I am selective. It is whatever grabs me and truly speaks to me. And if you happen to make an appearance in any of my writing, chalk it up to being extra interesting.
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