Writing Should Always Be Fun
Posted: Thursday, June 19, 2008
by Mike Fak
http://mikefak.com
I recently agreed to become Managing Editor of a local on line newspaper in my town. It just fit my personality perfectly and it allows me to consider myself a permanent, full time writer without fear of having to go back into painting church steeples as I did as a younger man. Between this new job, helping clients with manuscripts and a little bit of radio, life is busy and good right now. That's important since I'm not sure how much of it I have left. I have to admit however that my new job has its frustrating moments.
Previously, I just did whatever the heck I wanted to do. I would write a local column about whatever I wanted to and that was fine with everyone around here.
Now I am learning that news breaks according to its own schedule and not mine and that is taking some getting used to.
One of the things I need to become accustomed to is remembering all the stuff a reporter needs to keep with them. There is a cell phone, the first in my life by the way, a digital camera, a pad of paper, a pen, business cards, and of course my choppers.
So far I have forgotten to bring at least one thing at least once as I run out the door. I did remember my teeth before I left the driveway however. That would have been a hoot since I was going to see a local orthodontist observing 25 years in the business.
I am very busy but plan to continue my little sideline projects such as Searchwarp. I am having fun putting some of my works on the web and sending them into cyberspace. I guess I like to picture someone running across one of my stories a thousand years from now. From time to time I receive an e-mail from someone who read something that was put out there years ago so I really believe I am immortalizing my zaniness for generations to come. It is sort of like having one's ashes shot up in space but much more palatable since I don't like heights and I have a fear of premature cremation.
I wish I could tell you I am doing what I believe I am supposed to do but I have no sense of that. As a youngster I never took the time to determine what I wanted to be when I grew up so that is why I have ended up not knowing what I am. I recall once thinking about becoming a cub reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper but then the bartender shut me off and I went back to being lost in oblivion.
I do know that I can easily write down into words how I think or feel about something so that's what I do. Writing is easy for me. I can write columns in my sleep. Looking at some of my past articles, I believe I did. I wonder if I had fun while I did those too.
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Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)It's working Mike! I mean the "immortalizing my zaniness" thing. I still occasionally yell "Raw Fish in Havana" at my kids when they make me mad! (For those of you new to SearchWarp & Mike - that's a reference to the first article he ever wrote for this site).Thanks Jean. The Raw Fish In Havana will always be one of my favorites too. But I did love my being rejected by Cooperstown.Hall of Fame story too. The rest, I don't know since Jackson my cat did most of them. Mike By the way grizzlerazzleframastat also is a great cuss word.
Mike, you gave me something to think about that had never crossed my mind. I would like to leave a legacy to anyone interested as I do not have children. It never occurred to me how my writings could be around for years to come and have an impact in a good way, hopefully, on someone. Thanks for pointing that out and for another great piece from you. I guess it really sums up to what your title says, Writing Should Always Be Fun! I want to help others through my writings and never thought of them being immortalized, zany or not! This was very good and it gave me a new inspiration. Thanks! I'm not sure of the cost but you may want an extra set of choppers to keep in your vehicle or at the office! Being without my teeth is just unimaginable!Thanks Avis. Yes what we all put out here could be around for centuries. Unless they pull the plug on the internet and go to something else someday. I have thought about the extra sets but I imagine leaving choppers around might make the youngsters at the offfice a little squeamish. Mike
hi mike, would you ever have thought that your life's mission was to put a smile on people's faces through your whit and words? i can't think of anything better to leave behind as a legacy. people who are sick, or having a bad day, or waiting for their lost cat to come home, or saying good-bye as one of their kids goes off on their own, all sad for one reason or another, and then wala...they read one of your articles, and they can feel the smile forming, and it takes them out of their misery for that period of time. something to be proud of, best regards, sueThank you so much for the kind words Sue. I like to think I sometimes am funny but maybe I'm just a knucklehead and my writing stirs a laugh because everyone else is a knucklehead too. Mike
I'm glad you are going to keep writing these articles even with your busy schedule. Humor is such an important part of life. I always find your stories reminding me of funny ones of my own, including this one. A couple of years ago I had my front six upper teeth pulled. With all the money I have spent since then on the rest of my teeth, I wish I had them all pulled. Anyway, one of my neighbors came over a few months ago to return my dog who escaped from the backyard. After talking to her for about five minutes I realized that I had forgotten to put my teeth in. The next day the woman put a note in my mailbox with her brothers business card for his dental practice in it. Even though I did have a set of teeth already, it worked out because I have been looking for a new dentist for the family, since we moved to new town a year ago. I have had many other times forgetting my teeth, but funny story telling people that I found my dentist by forgetting to put in my false teeth before answering the door.Thanks Laura. It sure is easy to forget those teeth isn't it. I also have noticed that I can write serious classical music without my teeth in but once they are in my mouth, the skill goes away.I was thinking of doing a few sonata's and attributing them the Mouthzart. Thanks Mike
Mike, I enjoyed this as one who used to write project proposals and other bureaucratic documents. I almost lost ability to have fun writing and to write feelings of the heart--rather than feelings of a tortured run through the mind--and to become more comfortable with more relaxed writing. I think you are so right about enjoying it. I hope you'll keep readers up-to-date on how the new job is going.Thanks for visiting Jane. Much of my early work was corporate and although it beat the heck out of some jobs it could be droll and tedious. In a way I think my writing expanded because of that. I needed to write something that wouldn't put me to sleep and so I started doing little tidbits of humor for the company's workers. I will keep readers up to date on the job as I can see me doing some things wrong that we can all laugh about. Mike
Hi Mike, thanks for sharing a bit more of your world with us. I love your sense of humor and I agree with you and Avis. Leaving a legacy that will bring laughter and hope to others is a goal that I have. You are an expert at it. :-) Thanks again!Thank you Teresa. Maybe I'm just an expert on having goofy things happen to me. It was funny but I went to visit a business and on their back room bulletin board was an old Lincoln Courier column I wrote maybe ten years ago.You can never figure out what people will like or don't like so you do the best you can and let the rest be up to readers. MikeHi Mike, now that is something I can relate to! Goofy things is my middle name :-) What a compliment to see you article after so many years. Thanks for another piece of wisdom. I guess writing is just like everything else we do, some will love it and appreciate it and others will hate it, writing from the heart is what counts. Have a fabulous week!The greatest compliments I ever received were when people said they took my column into the bathroom to read. Now it doesn't get any more complimentary than that. You have a great week too, Teresa. Mike
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