As someone who has spent the last two decades ghostwriting (books, articles, direct mail, you name it), I have a finely tuned ear for the way others speak. I've honed the knack of thinking and communicating in someone else's voice -- and I've done it well enough to make a living at it. Not a great living, but I've kept a roof over my head and food on the table.
The downside of ghostwriting is the loss of your own voice. That's one of the reasons I am drawn to blogging -- it provides the ability to express yourself quickly and naturally to anyone who may be listening out there. I've been reading blogs and commenting for a number of years, and now here I am starting my own.
I feel a bit like my cat, Gracie, must have felt when she first turned up on my doorstep 14 years ago. It was around Thanksgiving and we were having an unusually cold spell for that time of year. Every time we opened the front door, this cute little kitten raced inside. She was not afraid of people and had obviously been someone's pet. She also had a crippled back leg and sashayed around the room with a swagger reminiscent of a sailor trying to find his land legs after a prolonged period at sea.
When we couldn't find out who the kitten belonged to, we wound up keeping her. I named her Amazin' Gracie -- because "she once was lost but now she's found" (to paraphrase the old hymn, Amazing Grace).
At first, Gracie was not very vocal. Her entire vocabulary consisted of one feeble syllable: ack. After a couple of weeks, however, that little ack began to morph into a whole range of meowing, purring and kitty communications.
So this first post is my feeble ack, and it probably will not reverberate with much force throughout the blogosphere. But I'm finding my voice, and it will get stronger, I'm sure.
Comments are open, so join the conversation if you're so inclined.
Great start Connie. It was fun and it sparked a lot of ideas in my brain. Please feel free to continue the conversation
Posted by: Sanjay Nasta | October 21, 2006 at 10:39 PM
Hi Connie,
I discovered your comment on the Fanshawe blog, pr class.
And that's a smart way for you to enter blogging - by commenting on other sites as well as posting on your own.
Good luck with your new blog!
Posted by: Joseph Thornley | October 22, 2006 at 08:55 AM
Sanjay - thanks for the inspiration and for posting my first-ever comment! That puts you in the CONnieVERSATIONS hall of fame! :-)
Joseph - thanks so much for the encouragement. I'm a regular reader of Pro PR.
Posted by: Connie | October 22, 2006 at 03:31 PM
Hello Connie
Thanks for visiting our prclass blog and taking the time to comment.
I loved the lost/found rationale for your cat Gracie's name and your "ack" analogy.
Best wishes with your blog.
Dana
Posted by: Dana Morningstar | October 22, 2006 at 03:54 PM
Dana - Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate the kind words.
I look forward to keeping track of your students' blogwork - what a great model for hands-on, practical experience.
Posted by: Connie | October 22, 2006 at 08:22 PM