Tag: writing

There is no try…

I started this blog in 2015. It’s 2020 now, and I haven’t written as much as I would have liked throughout the years. It’s not because I’ve not been inspired. I talk about and work with language every day. I’m working with some of the best and most inspiring writers of my editing career. I’ve worked hard to step up my editing game by studying, reading, writing. However, the most difficult thing is to edit my own work. As soon as I hit “post” or “publish”, I read over my written words and sigh, “Oh no. A typo.” Or I’m afraid something could be misinterpreted, and I immediately delete. It happens to many writers, aspiring and established. The fact that I know this doesn’t soothe my perfectionist nerves of putting a little piece of me out into the world. It’s this fear that has kept me from doing what was one of my first passions: writing. I really haven’t written anything new creatively since my mother passed away in 1996. That’s a long time to keep yourself from doing something you love.

Part of my drive to be a proofreader and editor is so that I don’t completely cut myself off from working with the written word. And the bonus is that I am able to help someone achieve their goals. However, it’s time I take a step in the direction of my own goals. It’s time I stop letting fear dictate what I can and can’t do. The dusty crags of my creativity are full of cobwebs from nonuse. It isn’t going to be an easy road, and I know I’ll make mistakes. But here’s to getting into the writing portion of my career and to push myself yet one more step forward into improving my editing career: self-editing.

I recently took my first steps to get back into writing. Here are a few things I’ve written for our local paper in Katy, Texas, The Katy Times. They’re just a few listicles to help us all get through the pandemic. They’re baby steps. But that’s better than making excuses. Let me know what you think. What is one goal that you have been afraid to take steps toward accomplishing?

http://katytimes.com/stories/ten-ways-to-make-an-impact-while-social-distancing,1507

http://katytimes.com/stories/10-free-online-educational-opportunities,1272

http://katytimes.com/stories/give-these-a-listen-10-podcasts-to-entertain-and-educate,1262

Posted on by brandeemiller 3

When language fails…

Truth is, words don’t fail me often, so it’s not something I’m comfortable with when it happens. I’m a blabbermouth and love to expound on subjects that intrigue me. Whether it’s the always frightening writer’s block or pure exhaustion draining our vocabulary reservoirs or knowing the word you want but not being able to procure it from the tip of your tongue (aphasia), when we can’t express ourselves, it can be a major frustration. (Disclaimer: I understand that for some people, it’s much more than a simple frustration. They’ve had an injury or have a condition that causes aphasia and it’s not likely to go away. But for the purpose of this blog post, I’m talking about the run-of-the-mill tip-of-the-tongue problems.) It’s doubly frustrating when you’re bilingual and you can’t think of the word or words in either language that you want to use to enhance your story.

Beyond the irritation of not being able to retrieve a word from our neural databases, aphasia can be debilitating if it happens frequently. (Aphasia is an inclusive term that can be broken down into more determinate terminology for when the failure to retrieve happens or what part language is failing us.) How do we stimulate our synapses to produce what we we are looking for? For me, word retrieval usually happens at 4:00 a.m. a few days later as I wake up from a dead sleep, shouting the pesky word or name I couldn’t think of at the appropriate time.

We add to our life story daily—sometimes 140 characters at a time, sometimes in a long rush of emotion. But what happens when language fails us (especially when it’s part of our job description)? How do we get back in the language groove? And why does it usually happen in high-stress situations? Or is that just when it bothers us the most?

Writer’s block can be a little more overwhelming, especially when we’re assigned to write an article or are passionate about our subject and we can’t produce the elusive wording. Some sites offer a cure for this predicament, such as psychcentral.com in its article 5 Creative Ways for Writer’s Block or Pam Federbar’s blog post for Huffington Post, Cure for Writer’s Block. Just as with medicine, not every cure works for every would-be writer/language producer. My go-to cure? Some good loud music (think AC/DC, Korn) and I think about the subject until I just can’t think anymore. Take notes. Then write. Then delete and write some more. Then edit. Then write some more. It doesn’t always turn into the polished piece that I need or want, but it does help to storm the brain castle and jostle the thoughts a bit.

How do you get over your writer’s block? Do you have problems with some form of aphasia?

Posted on by brandeemiller 1

Language as a portal

Since I learned to read, write, listen, speak, and watch, language has taken me places. From a physical point: I’ve lived in Malaysia, Spain, Venezuela, and various states in the U.S. I learned a few words of Chinese at five years old. In summer school before fifth grade, my mother had me take Spanish. In seventh grade and later on in college, I took various courses of French. I took a month of Spanish Basque when I lived in San Sebastian, Spain. While pursuing advanced degrees in Spanish, I took Portuguese and German. The only languages I claim fluency in and have taught are English and Spanish. The other languages keep a firm hold on my attention, and that list grows every year.

From an imagination point: I’ve read thousands of books and articles–some of which transported me to places I can’t physically visit in this lifetime. I must admit that I’ve read much more than I’ve written. I took time off from sharing my writing (almost 19 years) to learn, listen, watch, read, and practice what I wanted to say. For most of those years, I’ve used green, red, and orange inks to edit the works of colleagues, students, friends, and significant others. Along the way, I’ve had wonderful mentors, teachers, and friends who have taught me the importance of a single word or the weight of a phrase. And for now, I’ve been bitten by the bug to start writing and sharing again. I’m not sure for how long I’ll feel the effects of the writing bug–maybe a month, maybe 10 years.

Language is fascinating, no matter how you choose to use it. We use it every day when answering questions from parents and teachers; asking questions of friends; reporting on the latest trends to bosses; texting notes to loved ones; listening to our favorite programs on podcasts, television, or radio. How we choose to use language is up to us. Some use it to delight and inspire others to be their best, others use language to frighten and chill while entertaining us. Others use language to motivate populations to purchase a product or consider a differing viewpoint.

And the best part of language? It’s constantly changing. A single word that meant so much in the rocking ’80s can hold a totally different meaning today. Language itself is not a trend, but many studies are written about the trends of our communities and technologies and how to reach a target audience, all while using the one thing that’s being studied. What’s the new buzzword or tagline? Who will respond to it? Who will ignore it?

No matter how we communicate, language transports us. I know it’s naive, but hopefully it’s somewhere new and fascinating for the reader, listener, speaker, or even the writer. How will you use language today?

Posted on by brandeemiller Featured 0