by Marion E. Gold, IWPA President
From the President's Desk: The Heart and Soul of Communications
by Marion E. Gold, IWPA President
I was all set to focus this month's column on strategic planning
for freelancers and how to search for new marketplaces, when I read Rick Kogan's
item in the January 5, 2003 Chicago Tribune Magazine.
Kogan wrote: "It has long been a theory of mine that the pages of used
books are warm to the touch, as if they retain the warmth of the hands that
previously turned their pages. Many of the authors of the books are dead or
forgotten. But the pages of their books have stayed warm, waiting to be discovered
by new hands, and eyes and hearts."
I was touched by Kogan's words and reminded of the warmth I feel when I touch
the bookmarked pages of my mother's cookbooks, the signature on a letter written
by a loved one, or when I run my fingers over the pages of a novel read long
ago by a dear friend.
I remember how I felt upon seeing a review of one of my own books by a reader
who said she found the book "very inspiring."
And so I changed my mind about this month's column. We can plan, set goals on
paper, and write outlines for our next book or article. But nothing replaces
the passion with which we set our thoughts to paper. Nothing replaces the optimism
we feel when faced with a blank sheet of paper. And, nothing ever replaces the
wish that our words will be discovered over and over again "by new hands,
and eyes and hearts."
Not everything we write can be directed to a commercial audience. Sometimes
we need to renew our spirits by writing from the heart. At our November book
fair, the tables were graced with many wonderful books written by members and
nonmembers who shared with us not just their words, but their hearts. Their
passions and memories, their imaginations, and their fortitude to write and
publish, often at great personal expense. Always with the dream that their books
will be discovered by an eager reader with whom they can share their dreams
and thoughts.
No, I'm not a Pollyanna. And, yes, I understand the importance of covering -
and exceeding - our expenses. We all write queries targeted towards the commercial
needs of magazines, newspapers, publishers and web sites. We all have rent and
mortgages to pay, insurance premiums, and food to buy. But there is so much
more to the path we have chosen as communicators.
Next issue of PenPoints, I'll go back to providing tips and insights
on the business of communications. But for right now, as we look forward to
2003, let's remember that as communicators we have an opportunity to reach out
to our audiences to inform, to educate, and above all, to inspire.