When it comes to business, having integrity is critical. If clients donāt believe youāre true to your word, your business suffers.Ā
But how does integrity play a role in your writing?Ā
Hereās my take: If you wouldnāt say a particular word when speaking, you shouldnāt use it in your writing, either.Ā
Just as it does in business, a lack of integrity in writing can come back to bite you.Ā
When I was still teaching at the college, I once participated in a plagiarism case. Iāll never forget the student whose work was examined.Ā
After reading her essay, our committee was unanimous that it couldnāt have been her own work (her regular teacher was very familiar with her in-class writing, and this wasnāt it). Still, we gave her the benefit of the doubt.Ā
As the student sat across the table from us, we each asked a question about the essay. When it was my turn, I said, āIn this sentence, you write: āthe underlying proclivity of the dominant sector highlights the abysmal decrepitude of the s...
[Image: Chen on Pixabay]
I remember the first time I was asked to speak at a conference. My immediate thought was, āBut Iām a writer, not a speaker! Who will want to listen to me? I've got nothing worthwhile to say. . .ā
Far too many of us fall into this trap of āIām not good enoughā when we consider what weāll write, too. The problem is, weāre comparing ourselves to the A-listers out there, the famous writers--and we see ourselves falling short.Ā
For instance, I thought about all the great TEDx talks Iād watched on YouTube and how wonderful those speakers were. Or the keynote speakers Iād observed online, where I listened to big names like Tony Robbins, Brene BrownĀ or Simon Sinek.Ā
Well, compare yourself to those guys, and no wonder it's hard to measure up.Ā Ā
But hereās a different perspective. I learned this from my mentor in university, and have found it really useful over the years.
When I started sending out academic articles for publication as a Masters student, I couldn...
I was there as a tourist, so to speak. My roommate was asked to lecture on her area of expertise (set design) to a university class, and I was there to provide feedback and emotional support.Ā
I was excited to hear her since I loved everything to do with drama and had always dreamed of becoming an actor.
(That dream was shattered once I actually got a bit part in a play and had to repeat the exact same lines four nights in a row. Phantom of the Opera cast, how did you not lose your sanity?!).
I sat in the front row (because thatās what keeners do), ready to take notes.Ā
My friend appeared, dressed in a knee-length pencil skirt and blouse buttoned up to her neck. She looked like Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.Ā
Except normally, she wore long, floor-length flowing skirts covered in bright flowers and embroidery, cowboy boots, chunky hand-knit sweaters, hair long and loose.Ā
The class fell silent. And then, she began.Ā
āGood afternoon, cla...
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