On December 2, 2019 I began a variation of my 40+ year writing practice.
I decided that I wanted to write a letter to myself every day for a year.
479 days later, a stack of paper sits on my desk that is nearly four inches high and weighs what a decent rainbow trout from the Kenai River might weigh.
114 days more than I originally planned.
I hit my goal and kept on going.
I’ve been writing for most of my life.
The picture of me above sitting at a table with pencil and paper clearly shows a little girl loving everything about the experience. I look to be around three.
The writing bug bit me early. The rest is history.
When I was in elementary school, I spent a lot of time alone in my room composing stories and plays and poems on my parents’ blue electric typewriter.
Boy did I love that typewriter!
Everything from its gentle consistent hum when it was turned on to the clackety clack of the keys and the sharp snap each metal arm made on the paper when I formed words.
When my dad brought home our first Apple computer, my brother discovered Pong.
I discovered the word processor.
Since the world has gone digital, debates about the need for writing have made their way into the collective conversation.
I don’t even bother getting into an argument with anyone about this.
Writing matters even more today in a world driven by digital transformation.
And if you are running a business, even if it’s a tiny business of one?
You need to know how to write well.
Notice I didn’t say you need to know how to write perfectly.
Honestly, perfection is a big fat lie. It doesn’t exist. The sooner everyone can agree on that, the sooner we can get on with living life to the fullest.
One of the people I follow online has this disclaimer in the footer of his daily newsletter:
“100% Typo Guarantee—This message is artisanal, free-range, and gluten free. It was hand crafted with love and sent out unfiltered. There was no review queue, no editorial process, no post-facto revisions. Therefore, I can pretty much guarantee that there is some sort of typo or grammatical error or literary snafu that would make my 7th grade english teacher cringe (shout out to Mrs. Nagel!)”
I love this message for so many reasons.
We all had a Mrs. Nagel in our formative years. Mine was Mrs. Porter in 8th grade. Wow was she a stickler for learning the rules of written English!
I did my fair share of grumbling that year, but her teaching has served me well since.
What I write isn’t perfect, but it’s good. I’m grateful I know how to do it well, and I’m always learning how to do it better.
Mrs. Porter is long gone now, but any time I sit before a blank page, or work through a revision of something I’ve already written, I have her and many other excellent teachers to thank.
If you know how to write today, you probably do, too.
share
About