Day 200: Response to writing.
To Aysia; just an FYI, Day 200 means out of 365 days that I accepted a challenge to write for 365 days. I’m behind, but each time I write, or respond, I number them. I got discouraged for some personal reasons, which don’t matter here.
There was a time when I had to write memos, letters, or job instructions for an insurance company I worked for, years ago. My level in that job meant that I had to have each writing examined by my supervisor. She would write her thoughts and suggestions directly on the paper. I was cool with it for awhile until it seemed I could not write anything that pleased her. What it did do for me, though, was help me become a better writer, or so I thought. Well, it did help me because I tended to write like I spoke.
One day, I had to write a memo for one of the VPs in our department. It was about a personal item that had to do with my job, and I needed some clarification from him. I needed that because I handled the memo control for the entire building (of about 3,000 people, and many departments) and my supervisor was no where to be found. So, I made the ‘executive’ decision to write it and pass it on to him, anyhow. Everything had to go through steps.
He read it, and responded, but he sent it back through my supervisor with a message for me. He told her to tell me that I could not just give him memos, etc., without going through a higher level than me. He, also, told her to tell me that even though I didn’t follow the protocols, it was a very well written memo. I think it killed her to have to tell me that… but I knew my worth, and my confidence rose.
It is a good thing to have someone read over writings, which isn’t always possible. I will read this over a few times, tweak it out a bit, and hope it presents itself well. I have found that my thoughts can race; therefore, my sentences can run on. I have changed commas to periods because not many want to read a sentence that is actually a paragraph. You/I forget what the beginning of the sentence was, if too long. I’d have to say that I have no trouble with periods, but I do have trouble with commas. I have used a period where a question mark should be, not because I wasn’t asking a question, but because I was making my question a final fact. Do you understand? Do you understand. — meaning, there is no negotiation about it — like you might say to your child who you are saying there is no room to negotiate the rule.
Please, feel free to comment on my writing, as I know it will be done with sound criticism.
P.S. I learned to write with the ink cartridge pen shown in the picture, at the top of this page….
