Words

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.)