The Chemistry of Write Lady

What comprises a passionate writer? Within me is a potion of instinct, insight, imagination— plus one more ingredient. My instinct comes from Ethel Jacobs, my grandmother. She was a natural journalist with precious little time for writing until all eight of her children were grown. My insights stream from the collective lessons of Clarice Foster, my priceless English teacher, and from an endless list of authors. As for a vibrant imagination, that trait is common in the South, where excess humidity and heat turn minds haywire. Besides, people we know are far more intriguing than any character in a story, so we don’t have to ponder long to produce an outrageous thought. And what’s the last ingredient? Let me think for a moment.

Meanwhile, if I could write all day, I’d still long for more time to compose. The business of Write Lady affords me the luxury to be a wordsmith. Earth must spin and Write Lady must write. In the midst of writing— promotional copy for a website or poetry for a wedding; a motto for a business or basics for a manual— I escape to a mental world of words. I lose track of time and place as a game called wordplay entices me for another round. I block out everything else. Often I’ll feel as though I’ve been writing for an hour when three hours have passed. With so much time unaccounted for, I’ve given countless free hours to my clients!

Writing is my passion, and my love for the craft shines, perhaps unexpectedly, in the work I create. Who picks up a sales brochure anticipating anything special in the copy? I aim to please, and details make the difference. Each word, phrase and sentence has a purpose. The result may not be perfection, but perfection is my aspiration. Pinpointing a target audience with precisely the right copy is both a skill and a thrill of mine. Oh, the power of ink!

Ink! That’s the remaining component of my chemistry. I picture blood-red instinct, frosty white insight, hot pink imagination, cobalt ink, all flowing through my veins.

Now, don’t be a skeptic. Writing is a potion of art and science!