Creative Writing - Can it be lost or lay dormant? More importantly - can it be found again?

Writing creatively may come easy to some. At one point it did for me, at least from a marketing standpoint. I could take a theatrical production and write paragraphs about it, making audiences want to come and experience it for themselves. Then somewhere along the line of writing only in a news article (press releases, stories about technical topics, etc) way I lost the creative edge I had.

So now at 39, I have decided to do something about it. This blog is part of it. Another part is taking an online course called Writeriffic. Today was day one, so there is not much to tell yet, but our assignment is to pick a book about writing and read in it. So, off my shelf comes a book I bought a couple years back and have never read - "Everybody Writes" by Ann Handley. I plan to write a review of the book here on my blog once I am finished reading it, but that might be a few weeks down the road. My other goal is to publish any of my assignments from the class here as well as in the discussion sections of the class. If anyone want to comment, critique, etc those items, please do. That is the only way to move forward.

What are key items to your creativity? I would love to hear what helps other writers.

Honoring the memory of heroes

Processing the murder of someone is always a difficult journey. Even if you weren't close, but had known them growing up emotions run high. This with what many of us from Westerville South High School Class of 1997 are going through right now with the murder of Officer Eric Joering.

Family, friends, co-workers and the community at large are all finding ways to grieve and make sense of what transpired on February 10. Two officers/husbands/fathers/sons/brothers went to follow up on a call and moments later, after only doing their jobs, their lives were ended. Why, because a person who legally should not have had a firearm decided that he would take their lives.

Tears have been falling around Westerville, Central Ohio and beyond as memories of these outstanding LEOs are brought forth and shared. The support of LEOs has outshone the negative responses toward them and the outpouring of donations, monetary and food, has been overwhelming to those closest to the officers.

I have seen people ask "if the suspect was a convicted felon, how did he have a gun?" The criminals will always find a way to get what they want. Laws do not stop those who are hell bent on having their own way, no matter who gets hurt in the process. This time it was two officers who one will not be able to walk his daughter down the aisle in a few months when she gets married and the other has several daughters who will now grow up without a father.

No words will ever ease the pain that those closest to the offers are feeling. We can only hope that they know they have the love, prayers, thoughts and support of many as they find a way to continue on in life.

Beauty can be found if you look...

As we start February, the weather is again cold and snowy and sometimes it is hard to find beauty in our surroundings. The gray days make it hard to find those positive thoughts and the New Year that was so full of promise seems to have lost is luster a bit between reports of violence  and illness that are impacting many.

I am fortunate to work from an office that overlooks a protected wooded ravine, There is a small creek that runs through it and every day the view is a bit different. Every time I begin to feel overwhelmed I take a couple minutes to look out the window and see nature at work. Yes, my view right now has bare trees, dormant grass and plants, and very little color other than various shades of brown. But even in this setting there is beauty to behold. From the deer that meander through looking for food or to take a quick drink to the squirrels that slip into hollowed out trees making their nests and storing up for food to last until spring.

Today, after several hectic days at work I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Turning to inspect the ravine, I spied fox making its way to the creek and the shelter of fallen trees. In pausing a moment more, several deer wandered into view. It is sights such as these that make me remember that even on the gloomiest of days, there is beauty to behold. A single leaf that is hanging on a tree is a reminder that spring will bring new life and renewal. And with that hope for a better time, better world continues.

"Year One" by Nora Roberts

As an avid reader, I look for all types of books to read. Even genres that are not by favorite I still will try a new book here and there. I can't say that I have a favorite authors, however there are ones that I turn to when I am looking for something to read.

Typically I will ask for books as gifts for Christmas and birthdays and this past Christmas "Year One" by Nora Roberts was one of my gifts. I didn't know a whole lot about it before starting it. If I had, I might have not asked for it as a gift. First off, I do read Nora Roberts books many times a year. The bit of supernatural that are in many of her books adds to the story lines and the romances in them. I have never been a fan of the apocalyptic themes (and before you ask, no I have not watched "The Walking Dead Series" or any of the shows like that. Have tried, but can't get into them). 

So starting out reading "Year One" was a bit difficult. A supernatural darkness that kills some but not others. Some of the living have magic (also called the Uncanny) and some do not. During the first portion of the book I thought "did I really ask for this?" But I pushed on. There are only a handful of books that I can say that I have not finished reading once I start. Most of the time I will continue to push through ones that I don't like because there is the chance that even halfway through it will get better. "Year One" is definitely one that got better as I read further. (In truth - it was only the first few chapters that were difficult to connect to, but they were necessary for character introductions).

This book (first in a series) details the first year (hence the title) of the new world that people are living in. One filled with death, violence, good and bad people, love and hope. As I am approaching the final pages, I am glad that I asked for and received the book, took time to read it, and eagerly awaiting the second installment that is slated for November 2018.

Kids with Allowances: Pay "rent" or not

So I was listening to the radio on my way into work and a discussion was taking place about kids and allowances. A story started the discussion of a mom of a 5-year old who paid her daughter $7 a week for allowance, but then took $5 of it as "rent." The rent money went into a savings account that the mom planned to give to her daughter when she turned 18. The discussion surrounded whether this was actually teaching the 5-year old anything. Reasoning was that 1. a 5-year old doesn't have a good grasp of what money is or means and 2. if she doesn't know that the $5 is going in savings how is she learning that saving money is a good thing to do.

Various callers offered their own experiences and as you might expect comments were as varied as the people who called in. This got me thinking about my own son. As an almost teenager, he does get an allowance of $5 a week (paid bi-weekly just like my husband and I get paid). Out of that, he gives $1 to the church each time we go. He has gotten an allowance for close to eight years (starting with $2 a week when he was in kindergarten). We have talked with him since he started earning money about the benefits of saving and the reward of saving up for something that he really wants instead of spending all his money right away.

As he has gotten older, his allowance has increased as his responsibilities have increased. His has continued to save money and when he thinks about the cost of something versus how many weeks of allowance that cost means, it helps decide if something is really worth it to buy. Over time he has made a few poor choices, which I have let him make so that he learns (typically $5 or less) how to think through decisions on purchases. I can't count the number of times now that we have gone out and he see something he wants but makes the decision to think about it for a week or more before buying it. Most of the time he realizes that he really doesn't need it and that the want isn't as strong as the initial impulse to buy.

In the past year, he has started to house/pet sit for neighbors, mow lawns when people are out of town and shovel driveways/sidewalks this winter. He is not old enough yet for employment at an outside place such as a grocery store or such, nor do I feel he should have to work yet. He needs time to be a kid, working for come soon enough. We (his parents) decided with his input that it was time for him to start thinking about saving more for the future. As a group we came to the conclusion that his allowance and monetary gifts (birthday and Christmas) are his to keep and do with as he likes. Money that he earns from jobs will be split - half to spend and half to save. I am hoping that by starting this thinking early on it will help him once he gets a job to continue on a path with little to no debt.

What are your thoughts on allowances and savings when it comes to kids? There is really no right or wrong answer - just whatever is right for your family.

Freelance vs. Permanent: Why choose

Having been in the PR profession for nearly 17 years, I have been able to experience working for government agencies and as a freelancer. While I may not be the best person to post on this topic as my experiences are probably different from most practitioners, I wanted to put my thoughts out there.

I have held full-time positions at several state agencies over the nearly 18 years since I graduated from Ohio Northern University. I began doing freelance work when I was in-between positions and did not want to rely only on unemployment wages. It was also a great way to keep honing my communication skills and relationships with media personnel.

During my various employment ventures, I realized for me having a full-time job for an organization was better. While I really enjoyed learning about various topics and having new projects thrown at me, I prefer the stability of a government entity. I also like not being tasked with keeping track of what hours I have spent on which project/client or having to log time just to take a phone call. However, I do see advantages to either working freelance or owning your own business such as setting your own hours and being able to choose whether to take on a project/client or not.

So really, while there is a choice to be made between a permanent position somewhere and being a freelance practitioner, there is no right or wrong decision. For some a permanent position is better, for others the best choice is freelance work. 

Another Year, Another Shot at Blogging

Why does it seem that every year in January my blog comes to mind. I post a few times and then the who blog thing slips to a way back burner in my mind. It might start to simmer as an idea every once in a while, but never when I am in a position to do anything about it so it gets pushed back again and again and again.

Part of that I have discovered is because no matter how good my intentions are about blogger or doing other things I want, I make excuses for why I don't have time. I have found with my work that keeping a physical "journal" of projects and tasks helps me keep on track to get them done and on time (electronic versions do not work for me - don't ask me why). So for 2018 I have started a "goal" notebook for my personal life.

The items I am placing in it are not huge and life changing necessarily, but I have certain goals that I want for each month. These are ranging from reading certain books to completing a craft project. I have included one organization project each month as well. And yes, posting to this blog page is on my list too. (Hoping for two posts per  month, maybe more.)

I also have decided that I am changing up the blog a bit too. It will become a bit of a writing journal for me. About a year ago I discovered through an online class a website that has creative prompts for writing. Instead of always talking about what is going on around me, part of my blogging will be choosing a prompt, at random, and writing on it. Will everything I write be good? Most likely not! But the only way to get better at something is to keep doing it and do it often.

Here is to a new year and a new start.

Video game learning shines at aquarium

First off, I am not a parent who bans video games. I have been known to play a few in my 38 years on this earth (starting with kid games on my parent's Atari system). I have read articles touting the positives of kids playing them (hand eye coordination is one) and the negatives (too much screen time, the violence of some games - to name a few). However, last week on vacation I watched my son use his knowledge from a video game in a real life venue, and it amazed me what he has learned.

The game that made a difference: Endless Ocean, Blue World.

For those not familiar with the game, it is a scuba diving based game that has a story line, quests and more. One of the quests is to "collect" fish and other marine life to unlock them in a Marine Encyclopedia and to place them in various tanks at the Aquarium. You can create an avatar the beginning, accept diving requests to take people to see the desired fish or other marine life and take photos of various species to send to publications.

While on vacation, we took a day and visited Newport Aquarium in Kentucky. We had been several times before, but our son was much younger. He has always enjoyed watching fish, sharks, jelly fish, and pretty much anything that swims. (Visits to the Columbus Zoo always meant making a bee line for the aquarium area and spending nearly an hour with the fish, manatees and sting rays). We arrive at Newport and start walking through the exhibits. J was looking at the tanks and started naming off different fish and aquatic life without looking at the pictures and information off to the side. When I asked him about this knowledge, he said it was because of the video game.

Now I know that not all games are going to provide him this level of awareness about a topic, but at this point, I am grateful that he had been able to have fun playing a game that has given him facts about something he is interested in as well.

Rainy day musings

Soon after I posted yesterday, a storm rolled through central Ohio. For those who do not know, I work on the campuses of the Ohio School for the Deaf (OSD) and the Ohio State School for the Blind (OSSB). My office at OSD looks out on a heavily wooded ravine. Here are my thoughts as I looked out at the storm passing through on Monday:

Darkness rolls in turning day into night.

Rain pelts that green leaves, the creek rises beyond its banks.

My phone keeps chiming as the special weather alerts pop up.

Thoughts range from the good the rain will go for plants,

To hoping our scouts are safe at camp.

Extra love will be given to the puppy dog tonight.

Wow, have I been slacking...

So, it has been months (two dozen plus) since I last logged in and posted in this blog of mine. Upon opening it up, I saw I had started drafts on maybe a half dozen or more blog posts that never did get finished or published.

What has changed that made me think about and finally take the time to log in? I recently completed a business writing course with a fantastic instructor named Ann Linquist. I took a few moments to look her up and browse her website (www.annlinquist.com). She posts writing ideas multiple times a week, and I took time to write a poem, more as free writing than anything else.

It amazed me how difficult it can be just to do free-writing or attempt something a little bit creative. However, if there is nothing else that I have learned during my 15 years in the communications workforce is that I need to write, write and write some more. I need just to let the words go, including nonsense and whatever pops in my head. This will allow the needed copy to break through.

So for my first post in many, many months I wanted to share my simple, non-important poem that I created and posted to Ms. Linquist's site for total strangers to see. I hope to get back to my draft blog posts and even others to help build my overall writing skills and maybe, just maybe get a bit of my creative spark back.

Immersed in the words on the computer screen
Work seems neverending.
Email window pops up
With a new project, my boss is sending.
Today is Friday,
With a holiday coming soon.
It is easy to daydream,
Only interrupted by a visit from a raccoon.
Winds rustling the leaves
In the woods outside my office,
Making me remember days of cloud gazing
Lounging on a bed of grassy softness.

Another new year

I recently took a bit of time to reflect on what I had wanted to accomplish in 2014 and what I actually did accomplish. I did get a new job, which I love, that is helping me grow more in my profession and in other ways. Part of my reflection was to look back to last January and re-read my post of what I wanted for the year. The three words I chose to focus on were positive, excel and education.

I think that I did a fairly good job in those, although I can now think of dozens of ways that I should have added in but didn't. So in looking forward to 2015 (yes I know we are two weeks into the new year) I have one word that will be my focus this year - growth. But wait, that is only one word right? Yes it is. However, growth applies to may facets of life - personal, professional, intellectual, and more.

I want to continue to grow professionally. I want to learn more about the public relations industry, as well as new tools and tactics to use (especially design software and photography/video software). This also includes continuing to learn and use more American Sign Language so I can better understand and communicate with my co-workers and the rest of the staff and students at the Ohio School for the Deaf.

As for intellectual, this goes hand-in-hand with professional. In 2014 I read over 70 books throughout the year. But they were all just for fun. Part of this growth will allow me to go back and read books from my Master's program that I just skimmed over looking for what I needed at the time.

Personal growth will be the harder part I believe. It will be learning where more of my weaknesses are and even my faults. Then using that knowledge to find ways to grow to be a better person not only for me, but for my family, friends, community and colleagues.

So, there you have it. My word for the year and its sub-parts. Here is to a fantastic 2015.

Energy Awareness Month - What you need to know

Home energy use is something that we all know we need and many times just take for granted that we'll use electricity and natural gas, paying the bills when they come in the mail. In Ohio, October is Energy Awareness Month. Having worked for an agency where energy usage was the main topic I had the opportunity to write and guest column about energy awareness which you can read below.

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Save money and energy with a few simple steps

Guest Column – Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel

Knowing what you can do to lessen your energy usage without sacrificing your comfort is important to also lowering your monthly utility bills. In honor of October as Energy Awareness Month, the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC) wants to help you learn how to control the energy you use in your home and also connect with incentives offered by the utility companies for home energy audits, appliance rebates and more.

The first step is to identify what areas of your home need work in order to reduce the amount of heating or cooling you are losing to the outside. This can be because of lack of appropriate insulation in the walls or attic, old windows that leak or insufficient caulking around windows and doors. To learn exactly what you need to do in your home can be as simple as scheduling a home energy audit or home energy walk-thru. Qualified energy auditors will search for ways that energy is escaping from your home and offer tips on how to avoid this from happening. Some companies even offer rebates on contractor fees to have recommended work done.

Another way to lower energy usage is to remove old, outdated appliances, such as refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers and clothing washers in favor of newer, more efficient models. Many utility companies offer rebates or incentives to purchase and install newer appliances. Some even provide free removal of your old refrigerators, as long as they are in working order. This also helps to make sure your old appliances are recycled and don’t end up in the landfill.

If purchasing new appliances is not in your budget, there are still many upgrades and repairs you can do, or even simple habits you can change that will save on your checkbook each month. One of the easiest is to replace old light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs that give the same about of light but use less electricity. Another way is learn the best way to use landscaping and drapes to help heat and cool your home naturally. Make sure that you do not have any water leaks inside or outside your home. Even a slow leak can amount to huge water bills. Installing a programmable thermostat to help regulate the temperature in your home at various times of the day makes a big difference as well.

To learn more about energy efficiency visit OCC online at www.occ.ohio.gov and click on our Smart Energy page. You will find energy efficiency tips, information about Vampire Power, a step-by-step guide to conduct your own energy audit and more. 

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 In addition to OCC, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has information on energy efficiency and other utility topics. To view its press release about the 2014 Energy Awareness Month visit http://www.puco.ohio.gov/puco/index.cfm/media-room/media-releases/october-is-energy-awareness-month2/#sthash.O3bX2wUL.dpbs.  

 

"the first phone call from heaven"

It's amazing how one of the first blog posts I started writing for 2014 has turned into one that I kept meaning to get back to but did not. Weeks turned into months and here we are in August and I am just now getting back to it.

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One of my goals is to read at least 52 books in 2014 (average of one per week). You can see a partial list of the books I have read in an earlier post at Books - Borrow or Buy (Update: I have now read 54 books so I can say that at least one of my goals for the year has been completed 8/2014. I'll post an updated list at the end of the year). My first completed book of the year is one my husband and son gave me for Christmas: Mitch Albom's newest book "the first phone call from heaven." Just like his other books, once I started reading it I had trouble putting it down.

Without giving too much away, it was great to read another book that had some positive notes to it. People thinking that they were speaking to loved ones in heaven. Although there is a twist toward the end, the whole premise was that of helping people through the hurt of losing someone they cared about. Which of course got me to thinking who I would like to speak with if I could get a phone call from heaven.

First would be my grandmother. She passed when I was in middle school and to this day I miss her. We would spend hours together, not really doing much but just being near. Of course there are others family, friends and even people that I have never met that I believe would be interesting to talk to. I guess this idea of getting calls from heaven is like the question "If you could sit down and have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?"

So, who would you like to get a phone call from heaven from? 

Creativity: Comes from many places

I recently read a post called "61 Online and Social Media Resources for Motivating People to Create" on Brainzooming's site. I won't rehash all of them here as you can read them for your self, but it did get me thinking about where I get creative thoughts from.

When I was younger, I was able to write a lot more creative thoughts and stories. As I made the choice to go into Public Relations I ended up following more of a path of news writing. Put in all the facts and leave the "fluff" to a minimum. Reporters don't want to read flowery language in press releases. So my creativity waned. This led to difficulties in a previous job where they determined after I started that they wanted more of a marketing style of writing (think catchy advertisements). I struggled to do so and in my focusing on the type of writing made errors in other areas that I had never had trouble with before.

So, fast forward a couple years to when I started working on my Master's degree. Several of my classes relied on storytelling as part of the projects. Thankfully we were able to submit drafts and I was able to obtain generous feedback from peers and instructors to help me learn to add the "fluff" in order to make writing more conversational.

Having the skills of both styles of writing has been and continues to be beneficial. But back to the idea of where creativity comes from. I have found that many of my ideas come when I am not sitting in front of the computer. Unfortunately it is typically when I am not in a position to write them down (driving to work, in the shower, as I am falling asleep). No matter how many times I have tried to remember a thought, phrase or idea to be able to write it down when I get paper and pen, I never get to it in time or remember bits and pieces but not enough to make it sound good.

Do you ever have this problem? What do you do to combat it? I have taken to using the voice record feature on my MP3 player to record while driving and keeping a pad of paper in my nightstand to record those evening thoughts. However, and wherever you get your creative thoughts, make sure to write them down. You never know where they might lead you.

New Job, New Language, New Challenges, New Opportunities

In mid-July I was fortunate to begin a new chapter in my career by joining the Center for Outreach Services at the Ohio School for the Deaf. Like any new situation, I had a variety of feelings over this change from being excited at the new challenges and opportunities that awaited to being nervous (along with some self-doubt) to going somewhere new where I need to learn a whole new language and culture to ensure continuation of my position.

 Now to be fair, I did take a couple years of sign-language in high school. However, that was close to two decades ago that I studied it. So with excited trepidation, I began my new journey. In the four weeks I have been here I have discovered that I remembered more than I thought and that I have a ways to go in my learning before I have to take my Sign Language Proficiency Interview (SLPI) next July. Luckily, the SLPI is more about personal life issues (family, hobbies, vacations, etc) than technical topics like job skills. I am hopeful that between classes I am looking at for fall and beyond, tutoring sessions with deaf/hard of hearing co-workers and having the staff and students back in a couple weeks I'll pick up on it more.

 For once though, I did not doubt my ability to do the job from a public relations/communications point of view. I knew that I had the KSA's needed to help with the redesign of the web site, creating handbooks and manuals, branding forms and other publications, and the development of a quarterly newsletter. I am optimistic about the future here and look forward to meeting the challenges head on.

What types of challenges have you had with a new job? Have you ever been required to learn a new language in order to perform you job? I'd love to hear you answers to these questions.

Reputation Management: Essential to fulfilling your mission

Note: Several years ago I was asked by a supervisor to write about reputation management. This is what I developed, but taking out the specific info to the agency I worked for at the time. 

Managing an organization’s reputation is about more than interacting with clients. It is a reflection of what is said and done. An organization’s reputation dictates the level of credibility associated with it and reflects the likelihood of clients turning to it as a reliable source. This is even truer as advances in technology continue, where comments about companies are posted online at all hours of the day, seven days a week. We need to remember that a strong, positive reputation takes years to build and only seconds to destroy. (http://repfixers.com). 

Before, negative comments were limited to word of mouth within localized geographic regions, but with sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Yelp and various search engines, those comments can go worldwide in a matter of seconds. Word of mouth is no longer considered just spoken words but includes the online community. This can instantly damage an organization’s reputation to the point that clients begin to turn away from it for a source of information.

Negative comments or reviews can turn into a loss of credibility and trust causing clients or partners to turn elsewhere for information. For a state agency, this can mean obtaining less information about consumer issues or needs to utilize in developing programs or using in cases to argue points that both positively and negatively impart Ohioans. It also can mean a loss of strong partnerships with other organizations that support the organization’s mission and distribute information directly to Ohioans on behalf of the agency.  

Engaging in reputation management will help to dispel the negative comments by reaching out to those who have posted, working with them to reach a positive outcome. By personally addressing concerns or complaints, the organization can be seen in a positive light allowing us to be in a better position as a trusted authority of utility issues that is reliable and credible.

According to a 2011 survey by Weber Shandwick (a global public relations and reputation management company), 70 percent of consumers avoid buying a product if they don’t like the company behind it. What does this mean to a state agency? Negative online or media presence can lead Ohioans to determine that they do not trust the agency, causing them to avoid turning to the agency for information. This can lead to decreased support from the public and other organizations when the agency needs it, for example during the budget process. 

While reputation management should be a concern within all departments/divisions of a state agency, most are equipped with experts in communications or related areas who can address these issues and provide the resources necessary to avoid experiencing a reputation crisis.

What other items need to be thought about with reputation management? I would love to hear from 

Other items to think about:

1.      An organization must work together to preserve its reputation from top executives down.

2.      Plans must be in place to respond quickly to any incident that could damage your reputation.

3.      “Validity” + “Reliability” + “Positioning” x gossip = Reputation.