Remember a few weeks ago I told you that I was going to be one of the editors for the new Dove.ca site? Well the site is up and article number two has been posted. I should be thrilled, right? And in some ways I am. It is an honour to represent a brand that you really believe in and have your opinion and perspective valued. But in this case it has also been incredibly humbling. I have had to come to terms with the fact that I am simply not a writer. I guess having a degree in English and writing a blog and running a business does not mean you can actually write in a formal, structured way.
I have struggled. I mean I have REALLY struggled to write these pieces. Not because I don’t know the topics or am uninspired but because I tend to write like I talk in an organic, story-telling kind of way with tangents and irrelevant snippets scattered throughout. I never blog from an outline and it has been years since I thought about format, structure, and precision when writing.
To be honest this is the hardest thing I have ever done professionally. It does not come naturally to me at all. I am finding it stifling and frustrating and, thankfully, when the article is complete, I am finding it fulfilling. Or at least I am incredibly thankful that I will never have to conquer that particular article again. It’s hard to tell which.
I have never found anything like this terribly difficult. I was one of those kids who always got great grades despite the fact that I hardly studied and skipped a ton of classes. I was lucky I guess. Or was I? Now that I have to face something this challenging I don’t know where to start. I have no experience. I feel dense because it is not clicking for me and is taking far more time than I feel it should. And then, even when it is done, I know it is mediocre. I know I will be spending more time going over it with the editor and having her, once again, explain to me the "rules" of this type of writing and the reasons why I need to follow them. But it is not that I don’t want to. I swear. It is really, truly because I can not wrap my head around it. My brain just doesn’t work that way. Isn’t that weird? I’ve never known that before so I suppose I can be grateful for that.
Anyway, check out the latest article by me and the other editors on Dove.ca and let me know what you think. Please, be kind.
I can identify with your feelings. I experienced the same relative ease with school and, as a result, don’t have nearly the dedication or patience to approach many more challenging tasks in my adult life. I get flustered if something doesn’t just take shape, especially something I think I should be able to do.
In any event, I was heartened to hear that someone else experiences the same struggles!
And, I read the article on Dove.ca. It’s lovely. I wish I had grown up with siblings. What a special experience to have such incredible sisters!
I thought it was lovely!
Writing can be pretty frustrating – knowing what you want to say and the mood you want to create and then getting to that place with words is hard work. It really is.
i don’t deal well with structured writing either. I like to just put finger to keyboard and just GO! so, i feel you, Jen. but, really, it turned out great!
Jen, your writing rules are real and heart felt, don’t change
I just went over and read your lovely article. For what it’s worth, I thought it read beautifully and “sounded” like you.
Hey, loved your article on dove.ca. Just keep working on it and you’ll get it eventually. (Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…)