Pouring Rain

Another few fortnights have passed since my last blog entry. I am not doing a lot of writing these days, especially creative.
 

This came to light as I attended the Print Futures: Professional Writing Portfolio show at Douglas College on the evening of April 10^th. Remembering that date one year ago brought back feelings of nervous anticipation, since that is when I graduated from the same program and experienced the stress and heavy workload involved in preparation for the show. I was excited to see old classmates, new graduates and to gloat about my past six months of gainful employment.

As people asked me about my job, I realized that I don't really do a lot of writing on a daily basis. I do copyediting, proofreading and some very short article writing. The type of material I work with uses a lot of plain-language, which can be quite challenging. Clear, straightforward language is actually difficult to master, especially when you're trying to convert dense, dry information into something readable and easy to understand. Something to strive towards. Thank goodness for Frances Peck, the Editors’ Association of Canada and Simon Fraser University.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my job. It is challenging, fun and meaningful. I am learning a lot everyday and am fortunate to have a great relationship with my boss. When I studied communications in the Print Futures program, I was very excited to get into the industry because it is very dynamic. My job includes document layout, graphic design, research, editing, website management, media monitoring and event planning. My co-workers are hard-working yet fun to work with and the office is efficienty operated.  I also enjoy working with and analyzing the media and seeing the impact it has on society. 
 

Back to the portfolio show, program director Maureen Nicholson did something different this year. She read out a little blurb about each and every graduate, focusing on accomplishments, awards and special publications. One of them had been published in the Globe and Mail’s Facts and Arguments. Several others landed glamorous jobs commencing the following Monday, such as editor of Alive, which included interviewing Trevor Linden and k.d. lang and a possible upcoming interview with five-time Juno winner Leslie Feist.

Although I am incredibly happy for my Douglas College cohorts, I felt pangs of inadequacy. I couldn’t help feeling jealous of their accomplishments. Aside from being published in the college’s publications Pearls 2007, The Other Press and Looseleaf while in school, I realized that I haven’t really tried to get published elsewhere.

I submitted one short story to a local literary magazine last summer, smack-bang-on the post-marked deadline date. I never heard back from them, so I don’t know if they received it on time. My colleague who volunteers there said the piles of manuscripts were almost ceiling-high on the editor’s desk, and that they didn’t have enough staff to respond to all the entries.

The creative writer in me needs nourishment. I took my needed break and can now find the time for eloquent prose and narrative. Now it’s time to put my ass out there again and submit stuff. I also wouldn't mind seeing my name in print. I'm taking a big trip soon. Some travel writing should get the muse going again.