U is for Understanding

Somehow I've been at what I still consider my "new" job for almost a year. 2017 has flown by, no doubt at least partly due to mental exhaustion from sheer information overload. The learning curve feels less like an Escher staircase these days, but I still often find myself in a meeting, wondering WTH people are talking about as they casually toss around terms that send me scrambling for the acronym glossary I was given, along with a metric crap-ton of other info, my first week on the job. When that fails, there's always Google, in which there's no shame, as my boss's boss once told me the CEO caught her surreptitiously searching for a term he used in an EVP meeting. (As a testament to his character, he paused and said he wanted to be sure everyone was clear on what he was talking about). 

Such instances have gotten fewer and farther between without my noticing, but I got caught last week. I was on a WebEx (how most of my meetings take place, as State Fund has offices all over California) with a supervisor,  my boss, the head of Government Affairs, and the manager of our Special Investigation Unit, the guys who detect and prevent fraud. To put things into perspective, the insurance industry has its own lingo, and workers' comp, being a specific type of insurance, has its own dialect, so to speak. Add to that, the particulars of SIU, with terms like sub rosa (the coolest so far) and I'm feeling pretty good that I'm holding my own in the conversation.

Then my boss asks, "Do we have an MOU with that vendor?" What on earth is an MOU?? To Google I go, quickly discovering that it means, Memorandum of Understanding. W. T. F? How is that even a thing? Wouldn't any reasonable human being just say agreement or contract? Welcome to the government, boys and girls...I think that one wins the prize for this year. But something tells me 2018 has more than a few gems in store for me.

It’s All too Much

INFPs aren't very good at self-promotion, said the text book example of one of the 16 personalities on the Myers-Briggs type indicator who prefers writing over talking and shudders at the thought of being expected to mingle with a room full of strangers.

Creative types are often introverts, being more at home expressing ourselves through our chosen medium rather than talking. But what happens when an introvert wants to let the world in on her craft? When she wants people to know what she does and maybe even land some freelance gigs? For me, when it's time to—gulp—talk about myself, I can expend huge amounts of energy coming up with reasons not to.

Even launching this blog caused internal debate ad nauseam. (Like the world needed yet another blog). I've also thought about creating a website, and it isn't just a lack of technical skills that's prevented it (and yes, I know, there are things like wix.com for the tech-impaired). It's the thought of filling pages, or even one page with...me. Ugh. A friend recently pointed out my deficit in self-promotion skills, saying I just share a link to a blog post without any preamble, as if to say, "Here it is, read it if you want to." And?

So all of the above led to the creation of this page. If the point of my blog is to show potential freelance clients that I can in fact write, it made sense to include examples of said writing and a list of the kinds of projects I've done. That's enough self-promotion for now...I'm exhausted. 

Paper…For the Win

In the battle between paper books, magazines, actual newspapers, and all things e, many people wrote off paper ages ago. It's just so much easier to download a book or magazine onto the device of your choice, or find news or whatever else you might be looking for online. We've gotten so used to having instant access to the internet in our pockets we take for granted that anything we want to know is at our fingertips. And it's true that we have massive amounts of information a tap or click away. But what happens when we find the information we we're looking for? Here's where it gets interesting.

The very nature of being online turns us into multi-taskers. Click on this link now, or finish the article, or at least the paragraph first? The sentence? Oh, here's a new email, a Facebook notification, a new text, and a pop-up ad. In The Shallows: What theInternet is Doing to Our Brains, Nicholas Carr likens being on the internet to trying to read a book while doing a crossword puzzle. Lab studies have proven that the internet makes us stupid, at least temporarily. Problem solving (searching, navigating, finding that info) plus divided attention (ooh, what's that?) equals cognitive overload. And cognitive overload kills comprehension.

So what to do when comprehension (rather than info gathering) is the goal? Enter our old friend, paper, whose super power is comprehension. Reading a book or magazine is a single activity, free from distractions. It's just you and the words on the page. But where paper really scores over the digital world is in note-taking. If you take notes on a laptop in class, can you type faster than you can write those same notes longhand? For most of us, the answer is yes. But as this nifty infographic from the National Pen Company illustrates, handwriting leads to better recall because it creates a spatial relation between each bit of info we jot down, it allows us to think more deeply about what we're writing, and because it's more difficult to take notes verbatim, we have to process the information we're hearing in real time and summarize it in a way that makes sense to us.

The massive amount of information available online will continue to grow, and all things digital will continue to become enmeshed in everyday life. But, in the cosmic game of rock, paper, scissors, don't rule out paper just yet.

These Dames Mean Business

Prohibition era San Francisco. Gin joints, speakeasies, bootleggers and mobsters. Welcome to Frankie's world.

I can't claim to be an authority on comics or graphic novels, although I did purchase quite a few of the latter for my stores back in the Tower days. So I have a pretty good sense of when a particular title is going to do well. And I'll make a prediction right now that one such title is, "The Tommy Gun Dolls," by Daniel Cooney.

Full disclosure: I know Dan. He was a graphic designer and scan tech in the advertising department at Tower when I was the book ad manager. And he's a great guy with a wonderful sense of humor, a keen eye and plenty of talent. He's also an inspiration. He has a job, a family, and responsibilities like most of us. And yet, he finds time to pursue his art. I want to be like Dan. Create. Put your art out there. Be like Dan.

Volume 1 of the Tommy Gun Dolls, "The Big Knockover," introduces us to Frankie, a tough-as-nails grifter who finds herself heading a troupe of burlesque girls as they try to avenge the death of their friend. Cooney's fast-paced story line and incredibly detailed drawings are worthy of film noir narration. Frankie and her pals are no Dumb Doras, as the men who get in their way find out. You might be tempted to fly through the story to see what happens, but you'll want to slow down and appreciate the historically accurate depictions in each panel.

Dan is currently hard at work on volume 2 of The Tommy Gun Dolls, which is good news considering the cliff-hanger ending of volume 1. Frankie and the other dolls will be back to roam San Francisco, from the Tenderloin to Nob Hill. Everything's jake.

Word Crimes

The fact that language is living and ever-evolving is a good thing, or we'd still be speaking the King's English and sound like extras in a community theater production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Words fall out of use and are replaced by new ones, and language adapts to the needs of its users.

Evolution aside, I need to rant about the word crimes that are currently raising my hackles at my day gig. Going to work for the state, I was prepared for a certain amount of business-speak, and of course, the non-stop acronym parade, but the following is just. Too. Much.

Report out. When did this little gem come into popular use? Can't we simply report results? Why must we report them "out"? Out where? We report for duty or report to a particular location; did someone just pick "out" for the hell of it? I'm aware of the trouble many people have with those pesky prepositions, but come on...

Change champions. How anyone can use this term with a straight face is beyond me. "Change agent" was bad enough, but this? The only upside is Queen popping into my head.

Listicle. This one has been around for quite a while apparently, yet I'd remained blissfully unaware. Dictionary.com defines it as "a published article structured in the form of a list, typically having some additional content relating to each item." That sounds like what it is, and given our shrinking collective attention span, I get it, but it just sounds wrong.

Agreeance. What on earth was wrong with "agreement"? I'm just going to stubbornly refuse to accept this one, no matter what Merriam-Webster has to say.

A colleague saw me roll my eyes at listicle and when I said it was a silly made-up word, his response was that all words are made up. That may be true, but I have my doubts that anything on this list will stand the test of time. If only I could actually cite people for word crimes...

What Would Papa Say?

One of the lasting benefits of attending an Ann Wylie class is receiving her newsletter. It's full of helpful tips and practical advice, whether you’re writing for a start-up or you're immersed in corporate communications. Ann also lets her readers know about online writing tools she deems worthy, so we don't have to fall down the rabbit hole.

Thanks to Ms. Wylie, I've been playing around with the Hemingway app. This simple tool helps make your writing bold and clear by pointing out overly-complex sentences, passive voice, and adverb use. It also shows a readability score. Since discovering the Flesch-Kincaid grade level element in the readability stats in Word, I've always aimed for 10 or higher. I won't deny a smug satisfaction when a first draft comes in around 12.4. As it turns out, that's not a good thing if you want your readers to understand your piece.

I could rant about the decline of our collective IQ, and how the reading level of the average daily newspaper has dropped over the past several years. But the point of writing is clear, effective communication. The reader shouldn't have to work to understand the piece. If that means writing at a sixth grade reading level, so be it. Duh. But that's one of those things it's taken me a while to figure out. And yes, I did run this piece through the app. No adverbs, passive voice, or complex words. I got dinged for a few sentences that are "hard to read," no doubt due to the length. Hemingway and I will have to agree to disagree on that one. Short, punchy sentences do grab a reader's attention, but I'm a fan of an occasional longer sentence in the mix.

So as my writing worlds converge—day gig, freelance, and my own work—it's nice to have a few beacons to guide me no matter what I'm writing. And the point, of course, it to keep writing. Without delusions of "making it." Hemingway said it best. "We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master."

And Now…What?

This has been a banner year for the freelance career I began with my first magazine piece in 2012. I've had more gigs and made more money than ever before. I've written articles, blog posts, video scripts, and website copy. With some downtime right now, I find myself wondering what I want to write about. I've been writing for other people for months...now what do I have to say?

I could—and should—get back to the first draft of the novel I wrote last fall during NaNoWriMo. The sub plot wasn't working then, and it hasn't magically fixed itself while I've ignored it these past several months. I also need to make more of an effort to post regularly on this blog, for the practice, as well as to have a place to point potential clients. Then there's the writers group that offers a platform to write about anything and everything and receive insightful feedback.

My day gig calls for a fair amount of writing, although in any given week I do more editing than writing, and more project managing than anything. So with all of these outlets and opportunities to hone my craft, how do I find my voice when it's time to work on my own projects?

Twain said, "Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words." Hemingway said, "There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." What would I say about writing if asked? Keep at it and you'll figure out what you're trying to say... 

Omit Needless Words

I'm a little over two months into my new job and still can't believe my good fortune in landing there. When I was searching and interviewing, a friend told me I'd know when the right job appeared. She was right. I knew during the first interview that it would be a good fit, and I'm thrilled to say as time goes on, I'm even more convinced. I'm surrounded by fellow word nerds, people who have passionate opinions about the Oxford comma (we're for it), which is something it definitely takes a word geek to appreciate.

It's been a while since I've felt this challenged at work. I'm immersed in learning about the functions of the various departments and how they work together, dealing with the non-stop acronym parade of course—CSC, CPC, SIU, PCC, UR, and WCIRB* just to name a few—and getting my arms around my first two large projects. I wouldn't call it a learning curve exactly, some days it feels more like an M.C. Escher-inspired staircase, but it's still satisfying.

So with everything that goes along with getting used to a new job, including the intense amount of incoming information about the organization, I am to create clear, concise communications for my clients and show them the art of saying more with less. Challenge accepted. The wonderful truth is that I'm once again being paid to write, and every day brings new opportunities to further my craft. My boss has a sign with a fabulous Mark Twain quote on her office wall that reads, "I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead." Strunk & White would be pleased. And I just may have found a new tribe.

*Customer Service Center, Claims Processing Center, Special Investigations Unit, Pre-Coverage Check, Utilization Review, Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau

In My Own Write

The new gig is going well, really well. Sure, my brain is FULL, and I sometimes have trouble shutting it off so I can sleep, but I really didn't dare hope it could be this good. Who knew insurance could be so interesting? I certainly didn't. My teammates are fabulous—it struck me the other day that I'm surrounded by writers for the first time—and I've hit the boss lottery big time. My new supervisor, the Director of the Communications Center, is sharp as hell, incredibly emotionally intelligent and has a fabulous sense of humor. She also believes in investing in employees. Exhibit A: she sent me to an Ann Wylie workshop in L.A. on Thursday and Friday. After a little more than a month on the job, she wanted me to go to a writing workshop on the company's dime.

For those of you unfamiliar with Ms. Wylie, I encourage you to check out her site. She's made quite a name for herself teaching classes and as a freelancer. Over the course of two days, I re-wrote, polished and perfected an article for State Fund's internal website that I'd written, and watched it transform with input from Ann and the class. It didn't take long for me to see why my boss holds Ms. Wylie in such high esteem, and why her techniques have shaped such a large part of our department style guide.

Ann told us that she's not a naturally gifted writer, but over the years she's developed effective techniques that serve her well. Her view is that writing is heavy lifting and if you're struggling, you're doing it right. She is of the opinion that hard work and technique trump natural talent every time. That comment raised my metaphorical hackles and I later realized it was because I didn't want to (and maybe still don't) believe that. I've long understood that writing equals butt in chair, but the idea that it's all technique and hard work crowds out the romantic notion of my muse floating out there, descending at will to bring me gifts of perfectly-polished prose.

As I continue to settle into my job and hone my craft, I have a hunch that I'll figure out a way to focus on technique and dedication but not disavow my muse. After all, each writer charts her own course.

With a Little Help from My Friends

Well, after seven long months, countless résumé tweaks, 48 applications, and some much-needed, greatly-appreciated insider knowledge from friends, I did it—I landed a state job. On Monday, I'll start my new gig as a Communications Consultant at State Compensation Insurance Fund. (Cue fanfare). To say I'm relieved is an understatement of ridiculous proportions. I don't do unemployment well, and am a terrible job hunter, but I will say I've handled things far better this time around than after Tower ended. I really have no idea what to expect, but as someone who rarely changes jobs (I don't leave jobs, they leave me), I'm trying to keep it together and not completely freak out about being the FNG after nearly nine years at my last job.

I do know that I'll have an entire week of training, or onboarding (and the state-speak begins) before I even sit down at my desk for the first time. What a concept. Comprehensive training. About the organization, my benefits package, what workers' comp is and how it functions, and presumably, the culture of the agency. I must admit that it's the latter I'm most concerned about. I know I can learn the language of a new industry, even the endless acronyms, and figure out the day-to-day functions of the job. But what's it going to be like working for the state of California? How corporate is it going to be? As in, how serious is the environment, and am I going to have to conduct myself like an actual grown-up 100% of the time and leave my sarcasm and fabulously witty personality at the door? While that probably sounds like a given to most people, consider my history. You can take the girl out of Tower...

However it will unfold, I'm ready for this new chapter to begin, and I won't forget the help of the friends who go me this far. And now, it's on me. Here we go...