Writer's Block
I'm a good writer.
There, I said it. I'm more than comfortable wallowing in my failings and I'll be the first to knock myself down a few pegs, but not when it comes to my skills as a writer.
Because this is my gift.
It's certainly the most pronounced one, the one that almost never fails me. And, yes, there are times when I swear it's all I've got. That's why I take the craft so seriously, why I've spent so much time honing it. After years of practice, I've got just enough command of grammar to be clear and just enough sense of style to have a voice all my own. Along the way, I learned to respect the written word for all its power. I respect language, but I love it more.
All of which is why I took my name off of the press release I wrote for HCEF's Second Annual Journey to Jerusalem. As it was first written, the document was a fine blend of the informative and the poetic, communicating the pertinent details of the day's procession along with some sense of the spirit behind it. Press releases are something of a soulless form, but I infused as much creativity as the task would allow. I was proud enough of my effort, despite the fact it wasn't exactly how I would have framed the day's importance.
But this is the trouble with writing for public consumption - and especially for my micro-managing employer - because the article I originally wrote got tweaked just enough to collapse the whole house of cards. They were small additions, to be sure, but unwieldy and enough to mangle the document's flow. Worse still, one edit produced a factual inaccuracy, which was included despite my protest.
Obviously, it is my employer's preogative to edit the press release to suit the needs of the foundation and I do not begrudge HCEF this authority. However, seeing as most of the additions on this particular document were made only to drop names or as an exercise in self-importance, these changes hardly seemed necessary or appropriate to me, the writer. With precisely zero creative control, I was powerless to repair the document's integrity. Instead, I took my name off the piece, saving my own reputation - such as it is - where I couldn't save the work itself.
As a writer, I want as many credits as can be accumulated, but not at any cost.