When did you lose your writing style?
When did you lose your writing style?
Some insights and why it is important to do something about it.
Sitting and writing are best friends
If it weren´t for that buttock… I am half lying on a grey colored couch. My back supported by pillow that has an owl printed on it. I am crushing the poor bird. From here I have a perfect view outside. I witness the busy tasks of a bird couple making a nest. Each time they take a little rest at the edge of our balcony, their beak full with little branches and than fly further upwards. This week it is three weeks ago I arrived in Helsinki. It feels longer. I bought a bike and a helmet. Ate my first Finish icecream. Experienced Vappu day. Drank a few litres of Finish coffee. Took a sauna twice. Had the Finish flu. Not bad. If it weren´t for that painful buttock that prevents me to explore this beautiful city!
If you want to be a writer, you only have to write a little bit every day. Mostly you should brood and do the laundry. - Anne Lamott
So here´s the thing: I lost my writing style
It is not that I woke up one morning and realised:
“No way! I lost my writing style!”
It went gradually. Working nearly 20 years as a policy advisor surely did help in losing my personal writing style. I wrote thousands of pages on policy, project planning, work processes, legislation advisories, advice papers on empowerment and advocacy. All for good causes as I worked in the field of social and health care. After sitting years for long hours in meetings and behind a desk my lower back and facet joints resisted. The dark days of corona where homeoffice was standard in the lock down periods it was one step too many. At least for my lowerback. Suddenly I was not able to sit longer than 2 minutes, stand 5 minutes and walk 10 minutes. It took almost a year to get the medical diagnoses and care needed. Prior to my diagnoses I kept on working anyways. Lying down.. Till a company doctor decided it is enough. I need to start taking care of myself. To pass the time and trying not to focus on the heavy pain, I started writing everyday. On this journey of regaining my health I encountered many things. All leading me to realise it is time to find back my personal writing style. And maybe a bit of the lost part in myself as well. For I realised that what I write also reflects who I am truly. And I invite you to come and take on your journey with me.
Why linger on a personal writing style when you have ChatGPT?
We all write. Every day. Think about it how much time you spend daily on writing DM´s, social media posts / comments, e-mails, chats. It is what you do in your private time, your studies or work. You name it. You write. Sometimes you are in a hurry and use short sentences, abbreviated words and emojicons to express how you feel. You rarely pick up the phone to make a call. No. Instead you write someone a quick message while walking to catch the bus. And to help you with your writing now you can use ChatGPT. To translate texts, to formulate e-mails, write you blogs, essays or drafts. You just need to give the program the correct prompts, press enter and out comes the text. Next you proof read and fact check the content. Maybe spice it a little up with your personal touch and press the send button. Personal touch? Does that spicy flavour makes it your personal genuine written text?
What is this blog about?
Don´t get me wrong, I embrace every new technology that will enable people to spend less hours sitting behind a desktop. Believe me, I have been there! I have sat so much in my life that now my body starts resisting if I sit longer than 15 minutes. So let´s face it. Fact is, you and I have our own personal writing style. You don´t need to be a poet, professional writer, or lyricist. No, from the moment you learn how to write your basic writing style is formed.
Do you remember the first piece you ever wrote back in elementary school? Maybe you even have it. I certainly kept it. And it was full with red remarks by the teacher. Not only correcting my grammar. My writing style was interfered as well. And it happened to you as well. Over the years your writing style was formed, shaped and corrected. Not only by yourself but mostly by other people who read and correct your writings. I asked myself:
What did all the correcting of my writing style over the years do to my personality?
I truly believe now that not only WHAT you write but HOW you express, formulate, phrase your writings reflects your inner personality. And the more you write or engage in writings that is not your style, the further you get from your core inner being. By sharing my personal journey I want to inspire you to rediscover your personal writing style. And the importance to staying aware of this in your daily writing routines.
I will be posting biweekly an update of my journey. At this initial stage I will not have a paid subscription. If you want to share your thoughts on this, feel free to leave a comment or write my a DM. Coming from your heart!
