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blogging, corporate, corporate communication, self-reflection, technical writing, words, writing
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Many thanks to platosgroove for the comments on my last post: “Maybe I’m a writer a little bit. Just need to do it with the heart of a child. My serious competent self has gotten so old.” These words remind me of the dichotomy between my corporate stance during the day and playful prance at night.
I am fortunate to have a job that requires a lot of writing. In addition to corporate communication and carefully constructed emails, there is also technical writing such as operation manuals and user acceptance test plans. I vernacularize plain English into corporate speak, company-specific acronyms and initialisms, using a politically correct tone of voice aligned with the company brand. Then I log off, take a dinner break and return to my computer. One would think I had enough by then, but that’s when I get to “do it with the heart of a child.”
When I write for myself, it’s like playing a board game. Move the words or phrases around the board like chess pieces or throw them in the air like dice. See where they fall. Scan the list of word ideas I continue to build and fit them together to complete the puzzle. Like a child adorning costumes, I compare this word combination to that one. Try them on for size. Should I put a feather in that hat? Should I use a more colorful adjective? I can brush with wide strokes or draw straight lines in pencil. Will I elucidate or simply make clear?
Like a child rests well after a day of activity, my mind alights peacefully following my word play. Yes, we can be serious and competent, and still write with the heart of a child.
Gail's Blog 
I like the analogy of writing as a puzzle. I often feel that way myself, especially when I’m constructing my story. It’s like fitting the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together.
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Ahh! We’ve discovered the fountain of eternal youth.
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See. 🙂 glad we met. Be Groovy. I’m a “headshrink” deal with some very ugly stuff. So I make wine and now write with crayons.
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Glad you liked the post. Thanks for the inspiration.
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That is great you can do both, and embrace all sides of yourself. I know many people who had to quit technical writing to free themselves to write with their heart.
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That’s interesting, Ro. I think the break from each helps to sharpen my focus on both sides. I can’t imagine isolating myself to one type of writing. Aside from my corporate writing, I still write resumes and content marketing. I enjoy diversity and testing my own boundaries.
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