I have a hard time when I am forced to write on a certain topic as most of what I say seems forced, or not truly in a voice that represents who I am. What I like to write about, and always have, is moments in time. Maybe it's the journalist in me coming through, but I don't want to force something that isn't there.
I spent fifteen years behind a camera capturing moments and turning them into stories based on what I saw. You are taught in television not to stage anything, if you missed it, so be it. You have to figure out another way to tell the story. When given a topic to write about, I feel almost as if I am staging something, and I don't feel good about it.
Most of what I write about today is based on the images I capture. Whether it's a particularly moving photo that I took or even just a snapshot stored in the back of my head, everything has a story. Take for instance my nephew Dylan, we were at an amusement park not too long ago, and he was getting so upset that he might not be able get on a certain roller coaster, you could tell he just was not going to enjoy the day without at least giving it a try.
We snuck on the back as we always do, I mean really who wants to wait on lines when half the thrill of the ride is the thought you might get caught cutting in front of everybody. As we headed up the first hill, the anticipation from this boy was bubbling over. Once at the top, he was ready to explode. The sheer enjoyment from him could not be expressed in a bunch of words written down on a piece of paper, this was a moment in time that could only be captured through the lens of my camera. Sometimes you have to realize that an image tells the story better than words ever could.
Other times the image can be the basis for the story. I wrote a story once about how I almost lost my son on a family vacation. This was the last photo we took of him before the unimaginable happened. We were on a Disney Cruise three hours out to sea and my child turned blue and began convulsing. As a parent I feared the worst, my son was dying right before my eyes. I really had no idea what to think at the time, other than here we are out at sea on our way to the Bahamas, and my lifeless child was sitting there right in front me, and there was nothing that I could do. To make a long story short, he had something called a febrile seizure, which it turns out is pretty benign, but when you haven't seen something like this, it can be the scariest thing imaginable, especially for a parent who thinks they are losing their best friend.
Here I was, four years later looking through photos on my computer and up popped this image. A flood of emotions ran through me and I was transported back in time to the day it happened. November 16th, 2006, what could have been the worst day in my life was staring me in the face. Something I wanted to forget was now burning holes in my eyes. I wanted to share this story and the only thing I had to go with was this picture. One image, one moment in time is all it took.
Me? A WRITER?
Not so much.
Someone who captures moments?
That's more like it.
John Willey
Daddysincharge.com
Judges Comments:
"I liked the post. And I know that you don't think of yourself as a writer, but all of the people that read and follow your blog probably do think of you that way. Think of it this way: I could have looked at that picture of your son, and thought nothing other than 'Cute kid!' But after you tell me the story, it has a lot more meaning. While the images are great, and have tons of meaning to you, the don't really mean much to the average person, without hearing the story behind them. So, while this assignment was slightly off the mark, I can see where you are coming from."
Heather Reese, My Husband Ate All My Ice Cream
"Let me start out by echoing what Heather said about your ability as a writer definitely being there. You were able to take a photo of some kid and attach meaning. That is, in a cup, exactly what a writer has to be able to do. Make me care.
However....
Never but never start a post on why you are a writer by telling your audience to ignore you. Think I'm off the mark? Take a look at your first paragraphs and count the number of times you tell us that you are not a writer. This translates to the reader as: "Don't listen to anything I say because I don't even have confidence in my own writing."
And while it's understandable for you to *think* that, you don't ever put it into your writing in a piece you want us to vote for you on. Especially when you want to be Blogger Idol.
The phrase "what was he thinking?" jumped into my mind. It's a rookie mistake in a competition that you've survived several rounds of. Do better.
Got the assignment. Lost the round."
Allison Duncan, SVALLIE.NET: The Nerd Connection
"Yes, you are definitely a writer, so don't sell yourself short - but like Heather said, I can definitely see where you're coming from. I did get more of a feel for how you started but I would have liked to have seen more confidence in your skills vs. cutting your abilities down. You CAN write, and you write WELL. Sell it to us!"
Amy, Non-Stop Mom
"I stopped at the third paragraph. How can a journalist question whether or not they are a writer? If you do not consider yourself a writer, and don't feel good about the assignments you are writing, why are you in this competition? "
T. Rojas, from Motherhood: The Definition of Insanity
John Willey
Daddysincharge.com
Judges Comments:
"I liked the post. And I know that you don't think of yourself as a writer, but all of the people that read and follow your blog probably do think of you that way. Think of it this way: I could have looked at that picture of your son, and thought nothing other than 'Cute kid!' But after you tell me the story, it has a lot more meaning. While the images are great, and have tons of meaning to you, the don't really mean much to the average person, without hearing the story behind them. So, while this assignment was slightly off the mark, I can see where you are coming from."
Heather Reese, My Husband Ate All My Ice Cream
"Let me start out by echoing what Heather said about your ability as a writer definitely being there. You were able to take a photo of some kid and attach meaning. That is, in a cup, exactly what a writer has to be able to do. Make me care.
However....
Never but never start a post on why you are a writer by telling your audience to ignore you. Think I'm off the mark? Take a look at your first paragraphs and count the number of times you tell us that you are not a writer. This translates to the reader as: "Don't listen to anything I say because I don't even have confidence in my own writing."
And while it's understandable for you to *think* that, you don't ever put it into your writing in a piece you want us to vote for you on. Especially when you want to be Blogger Idol.
The phrase "what was he thinking?" jumped into my mind. It's a rookie mistake in a competition that you've survived several rounds of. Do better.
Got the assignment. Lost the round."
Allison Duncan, SVALLIE.NET: The Nerd Connection
"Yes, you are definitely a writer, so don't sell yourself short - but like Heather said, I can definitely see where you're coming from. I did get more of a feel for how you started but I would have liked to have seen more confidence in your skills vs. cutting your abilities down. You CAN write, and you write WELL. Sell it to us!"
Amy, Non-Stop Mom
"I stopped at the third paragraph. How can a journalist question whether or not they are a writer? If you do not consider yourself a writer, and don't feel good about the assignments you are writing, why are you in this competition? "
T. Rojas, from Motherhood: The Definition of Insanity