This blog is a creative outlet for my seeking knowledge and understanding of the role of social media within the foodservice manufacturing world. Anyone who knows me, knows I am passionate about the foodservice world, specifically the beverage side of that world. So to say my posts aren't from the heart is simply not true.
If my words seem specifically chosen or perhaps too "collegiate", you can either blame (or thank) my father. My dad was the first in his family to attend (and graduate) college. His undergraduate degree was in English Literature, but even before college he was methodical in his writing.
As a teenager, he had a job at the Providence Journal. He worked alongside adult reporters who taught him how to correctly and effectively craft a sentence. Long before spell-check or auto-correct he was thumbing through dictionaries looking up the correct spelling of words. He is gifted, probably from my grandmother, with an unbelievable memory and the ability to recollect EVERYTHING. My younger brother shares that trait with my dad, a trait which apparently skipped me.
I always had to work at my grammar and vocabulary. I still do.
However, one thing I did get from my dad (and I think this is more of a learned response rather than a genetic predisposition), is pride in doing a good job...the first time. From as far back as I can remember until the day I left for the Navy, my dad used to say, "If you're going to do something, you may as well take the time to do it right the first time."
This life lesson was drilled into me frequently, but I would hear it more often when he was proof-reading my school reports. He'd review my work and catch every single misspelling, every wrong word choice, and any grammatical error. (I'm still prone to verb tense changes within a sentence, but I notice them myself more often now.) Then he would tell me to go back and do it right.
Today, mostly because of technology, I make less spelling mistakes and catch more of the blatant grammatical errors. However, I do proof my work several times before I hit send. The first couple of proofs are to make sure the story flows smoothly and ensure the message gets delivered succinctly. My final proof is always done through my "dad-filter" where I look at the work and ask, "what would dad correct"?
Are my posts Providence Journal material? No. Most of the posts aren't even USA Today material.
Will I ever be offered a job as a journalist? I seriously doubt it. But journalism isn't my passion, foodservice is.
Do I write at a collegiate level? Sure, but I am a college graduate. My peers are college graduates. My SEO professional (the aforementioned younger brother with the Mensa IQ) says I should try to write at a "high school" level for the best chance at appealing to a broader audience. Maybe he's right. But, every time I try to write for "broader appeal", I picture my dad marking up my paper and in my head I hear him tell me to "go back and do it right."
Over edited? unOptimized search engine writing style? Grown-up word choices? Sure, I'll accept all those critiques.
But to say my posts aren't written from the heart? No, I won't accept that one. Every final proof of my "over edited" posts are done with my dad (and his lessons) in mind. I'm not sure it gets much more "from the heart."
So dad, if you're reading this, I know when we were younger you sometimes thought I wasn't listening. And actually, sometimes I wasn't. But, the lesson was learned just the same. From my heart, thank you!
BONUS QUESTION
Nancy Wilson, one of the founding members of the musical group "Heart", has ties to cinema. For 22 years, she was married to writer, producer, and director Cameron Crowe. She actually has a cameo appearance in one of his movies where she is credited as "Beautiful Girl in Car." What was the movie?
I will send a gift to the first person who posts the correct answer in the comment section.
