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Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Essay # 7 - Revisiting "Why" 3/7/2010

Every now and then, I need to do a reality check . Why do I do this?

When I first started writing letters, I was trying to “get free stuff”. If a watch broke, or sunglasses, I wanted to get them replaced for free. If someone wasn’t happy with something, I wanted to get it fixed. I found that wrapping the meat of the letter with whimsical characters and story development, made the process easier for all.

-I had fun creating something.

-The people around me laughed.

-People at companies who are paid to read letters seemed to respond better.

-The more I write, the faster and easier it becomes.
Soon, I found out that I really enjoyed putting the stories together, and sharing them, as I did getting the response. A friend suggested that I develop this into a blog, which I started last August. That has affected my writing in several ways:

1) It puts me on a schedule. Without writing letters, I have nothing to share with you all.

2) It gives me a “live” audience. People give me immediate feedback, and great ideas.

3) When I get nonperishable food coupons on behalf of you, we generally agree to donate the food to charity, which makes me feel like a little less of a jerk when I tear into a company.

4) It makes me think twice about what I say. I don’t like offending people.

5) I get to create my own little hokey illustrations, which may be my favorite part of all.
Several have suggested getting my letters published. I explored this several years ago, and didn’t get too far. I figure if I write enough, I’ll have a bigger pool from which to select. The support from you all has been great—both readers and fellow writers.

This is such a departure from my actual career, it serves as a great hobby and stress release. I feel that writing has improved my communication skills, and recharges my batteries.

Last week, I received a note from Google. The note contained my PIN for the ad account on my site. It seems that enough people have clicked on the Google Ads on my blog page to earn some money. This transaction would not pay for a movie and popcorn—more like one or the other. But I’m proud of it nonetheless. It’s something tangible, a result of people reading my letters. 

It's something that I owe to all of you,

Thanks for all of your support!

Jerry

From http://thehermanletters.blogspot.com

1 comment:

  1. I agree, Jerry, writing has always been an amazing outlet for me...I need to get back to it more and just to take my mind off the daily struggles that sometimes (though not often, thank God) bring me down. Even writing about my lame ass ex, though it's usually about the b.s. he put me through, makes me grateful to be reflecting on memories and not still living that life...just have to make sure my son doesn't ever get ahold of those once he starts reading completely...don't mind bashing the ex in an anonymous manner, but I do feel it's important to hold your child's father in high esteem and let them form their own opinions without the negative impact from a wounded spouse...ahhh...the beauty of the blog world...love it!

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