What does LL Cool J say? Don’t call it a comeback? You’re right, it’s not. But I’ve had two chain letters in different forms come across my path this week, and I find that oddly satisfying. If just ONE MORE chain letter makes its way to me, then I can officially call it a trend, according to the rules of journalism.
Welp. Two out of three ain’t bad.
The first chain letter was a physical letter that came in the mail, courtesy of my cousin Alyssa. The purpose of the chain letter was to participate in a book exchange by sending one of my son’s books to someone on the list and then mailing the forms to another person…the goal being to eventually have a book make its way back to us.
Cute. Only I was so thoroughly confused by it that it took a solid two days to sink in. (Thanks, pregnancy brain.) I opened the letter and turned to my husband.
Me: What’s this?
Him, coming over to look at it: I dunno, what is it?
Me: I dunno, I’m asking you?
Physical mail is confusing. Thankfully, the second chain letter came via blog, a format I am much more familiar with. My buddy Abe, aka @SrslyAmusing, tagged me in his post and now, if you’ll forgive me, I shall be answering his questions and boring you with serious talk about my writing process.
What am I working on?
This blog. And another educational technology blog for work. And a science series for 5th and 6th graders called Skill Sharpeners. I am churning out so much content, as it were, that I am leaking words.
How does my work differ from others in its genre?
What genre would that be? Cynical Italian mom meets science buff meets arts enthusiast? I believe I differentiate myself from others in my field by being marginally more amusing and exponentially more nerdy.
Why do I write what I do?
For one, it pays the bills. For another, it’s my outlet. I’m not sure what else I would be doing if I couldn’t write. To be schmaltzy for a second, it literally saved my life when I could no longer dance because of an injury. Being a writer is not only what I do, it’s who I am.
And as for the specific kind of writing I do? Well, I’m happy doing all of it. Science writing: LOVE learning something new every day about the human body or the universe or the forces at work around us. Edtech blogging: Absolutely adore plugging into the edtech community and contributing in a way that (hopefully) puts our company right up there with the other thought leaders in our industry. And as for humor blogging, well, it’s just plain fun. FUN. I do it for no other reason than to entertain myself and, hopefully, a few others in the process. (And of course, to land that book deal. I’m STILL waiting, publishers!)
How does your writing process work?
Does anyone except for other writers care about this? I will be bluntly honest. Most of my inspiration comes to me at the most inopportune moments. In the shower. In the middle of my sleep. While I’m driving home. I get an idea and then I have to repeat it over and over in my head until I can reach a pen and paper or a computer. This is why my friend Dave bought me a waterproof notebook.
Then, once I get to a place where I can actually write stuff down it just…flows. I tend to write chronologically, start to finish, and then backtrack and edit myself, adding and tweaking and subtracting along the way. I do a little self-editing as I write because, as it so happens, I’m not just a writer but an editor. I know this practice is frowned upon in some writing circles, but suck it. This is how I work.
So have I answered all your burning questions? I know you guys were waiting with breath that is bated. I shall now pass the chain letter baton onto the aforementioned buddy Dave, who is a spectacular writer himself, specializing in the fanciest sci-fi prose you’ll ever lay eyes on.
The Olive Gal
green of skin, black of heart
Here I was, thinking that you were going to complain about that weird chain letter/status update that’s currently making its rounds on Facebook with people randomly leaving vague status updates like, “I forgot to wear underwear today,” or “I have a confession, please support me,” etc.
Pro bloggers unite! (Well, mine’s just part time and I don’t get a byline, but still…brand blog writing is what I do in my “free time” when I’m not working at my full-time job or dealing with 2 kids.)
I haven’t gotten a paper chain letter in years and I’m feeling oddly nostalgic for them now!