I’ve been doing a lot of writing lately. My new career as a
freelancer currently has me writing product descriptions. I snagged a job
writing descriptions of glass tiles for a website, and the guy liked my work so
much that he’s been giving me a new assignment every week. It’s paid pretty
well for freelance stuff, and I’m grateful for the income, since college
tuition bills loom large on the horizon.
For many years I had a full-time job writing and editing,
and during those years I appreciated the opportunity to make a living at
writing. These jobs were not plentiful even when I left college, and over the
years, jobs where you could actually make a living have become increasingly
rare. With the explosion of technology, where everyone can find a forum, where
print is out of vogue, and where the web gives us “everything” for free, the
written word has become devalued. Anyone can write, blog, or publish on the
web. There are few hoops to jump through, and even fewer filters. No one cares
much about spelling or punctuation or fact checking. This has led to some great
pearls being unearthed that would have never seen the light of day if it hadn’t
been for self-publishing, and even some great intellectual conversations, but
it’s also led to a lot of misinformation, oversharing of uninformed opinions,
and venting.
The web and our access to technology have fostered more
voices and less communication, because real communication involves listening
and thoughtful response. These days it’s possible to send a message that flows
right out of our fingers without ever going close to our brains. With instant
communication, response easily devolves into rant—quick and often thoughtless
responses that do little to edify or clarify. With all of its amazing capacity,
social media has actually made our kids less social while creating entirely new
ways for them to be cruel to each other, and to be victimized.
As with all advancements, there is both good and bad, and it’s
up to all of us and the generations that are to follow to cultivate the good
while curtailing the bad. And at some point, we need to reclaim the idea that
words are a valuable commodity. Few of us believe that great lie of childhood: “words
can never hurt me.” We know they can. But they also have the power to heal, to
restore, to encourage, to edify….
And to sell tiles. While some days I feel a little like a
word-whore, selling my craft for a few bucks, I also get a lot of joy from representing
a quality product or coming up with a clever way of saying something I’ve
already said 50 times. I also know that when I’m tired of doing that, blogging
provides me with a place to play, where a small and friendly audience reads my
stuff and hopefully gets some joy from it.
I’ve been doing this for about a year now, and I appreciate
everyone who has stopped by, made a comment, or in any way supported this
endeavor. I hope that my writing makes a difference to you; I know that when
you read it, it makes a difference to me! Thanks!
(You’re welcome to check out some of my writing (and the
gorgeous tiles and craft items) at http://www.wholesalersusainc.com,
but please keep in mind that I didn’t write all the descriptions, my employer
often changes my descriptions, and I did not proofread the site.)
