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Posts Tagged ‘writing’

There’s a time to wait

Posted on: October 30th, 2011 by Amy Lynn Smith No Comments

I have a great idea for a blog post. I just don’t have the energy to write it today.

And you know what? I decided that’s okay. In fact, I decided it’s wise to wait.

What I want to write about isn’t time-sensitive. And I’m tired. So very tired. Too tired to do it justice.

Today is my first day off in, well, I’ve lost track. Delighted to have so much work, but since finishing everything yesterday I’ve done pretty much nothing. Read, watched TV, napped. Which I’m completely fine with.

There's a time to wait

I kept trying to start the post I want to write – and still will, very soon – but finally realized that I just didn’t have it in me today. So I’d never be able to write the piece I really want to write, and it’s a topic I feel strongly about.

Sure, sometimes you just have to crank things out. Like this little rumination, which keeps me true to my word of blogging three times a week.

But when you have the luxury of time — and something you’d like to savor the act of doing, rather than just doing it for the sake of completion — it’s better to wait.

So that’s what I’ll do. I’ll wait. And probably take another nap.

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Promises, promises

Posted on: October 27th, 2011 by Amy Lynn Smith 3 Comments

When I started this blog, I made myself a promise that I’d post to it three times a week. Which is a lot.

Or at least it feels like a lot to someone who already writes all day long and often into the evening.

I almost didn’t write today’s post. It’s been a big week. But then I remembered that I made a promise. Even if it’s to myself, I should keep it.

Which got me thinking about promises. I take them very seriously, but does everyone else do the same?

Promises, promises

My work revolves around deadlines. My clients know they can count on me to hit them. Every so often, I have to beg for mercy, as I did this week. And because they know my word is good, my clients are willing to give me some leeway every once in a while. I don’t ask very often.

I look at the world around me, though, and I see plenty of people who don’t keep their promises. Writers who miss deadlines with abandon. People who swear they’ll stay in touch and don’t. Politicians who say they’ll do one thing and then do another. Companies that promise their product will deliver when it doesn’t.

I think keeping promises is important. Sure, there are times when going back on your word is unavoidable. But hopefully, you don’t take it lightly — and you make up for it somehow.

To me, it’s a sign of integrity when people keep their promises. Even the ones they make to themselves.

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Posted in Observations | 3 Comments »

New perspectives on news media

Posted on: September 30th, 2011 by Amy Lynn Smith No Comments

Whenever I travel, it gives me a fresh perspective not only on the place I’m visiting, but on my life and the world at large.

My recent trip to Washington, DC, was particularly eye-opening, and I found myself drawn to sites that centered on news and the media.

I have a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications, so I am already well-informed on the media’s influence. But at the excellent Newseum, I was struck by the fact that although the mediums through which we receive news have changed dramatically, the impact of the news media has been an acknowledged force in decision-making – for better or worse – since before our country was founded.

This was reinforced by a new exhibit at the National Gallery of Art that focused largely on Andy Warhol’s art based on newspaper and tabloid headlines. The many ways he re-imagined these printed pieces, which were an obsession for him, underscored how each of us interprets what we read.

No question, the media has the power to influence what we think. But, as my parents taught me, “Don’t believe everything you read.” Check your sources. Be a little skeptical and dig deeper. And then decide what’s true.

More than ever, I’ll revere the journalists who are committed to solid, factual reporting. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, “Let the people know the facts, and the country will be safe.”

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Posted in Media | No Comments »
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