Christy Matte

I am appreciative of good satire as much as the next person, but for some reason, the Internet seems to bring out the absolute worst in some people. I suspect it’s the feeling of anonymity. This is going to sound incredibly cheesy, but I just wish people could be kinder to one another.

I’m enjoying reading the Freelance Parent over at Sparkplugging. As a parent who cares for her children full time during the day and writes during an “alternative work day,” I appreciate hearing from other parenting writers. There are some special challenges involved. I rarely give out my business number because most PR people call during the day. I’m constantly trying to explain (over screaming kids) that I’ve got a home office and that it’s not technically open during the day. Luckily, it’s becoming more commmonplace and email is more of a standard. I often miss smaller family “events” (i.e. random dinners and gatherings not related to birthdays, anniversaries or holidays) because I need to work in the evenings and on weekends. I’m not sure our families fully understand, but they’ve been pretty good about it.

Anyway, one of the posts at Freelance Parent really made me think. Lorna Doone Brewer wrote about some discrimination she experienced while attending the BlogWorld Expo last week. She took her daughter, who is still breastfeeding, with her to the conference and ran into resistance from the venue and other bloggers. First off, I want to say, “Woo-hoo,” to her for sticking up for her right to be a breastfeeding mother and a professional writer. She is obviously sensitive to her daughter’s behavior and how it might impact other conference-goers. I guess I just don’t think that all parents are as thoughtful. So, where do you draw the line? If you do allow babies and even children into conferences intended for adults, who decides at what point a child is being disruptive if the parent does not? I don’t have an answer (how can you?), but I do think it’s about time we start having the conversation.

How are people getting any writing done when they’re so busy blogging, tweeting, Facebooking (?), and so on?

Today I’m working on a list of favorite writing blogs. If you have one, feel free to share. Otherwise, I’ll post some when I finish browsing through them all.

I was studying electrical engineering at a technical school when I got burnt out on the competition, the lack of “soft” subjects and the anxiety of wondering whether I was passing or failing my classes. I decided to transfer to a large, diverse school (pretty much the opposite of where I started) to pursue a more varied education. One of the requirements for all students was a freshman-level writing course. Each year, the department offered a test for transfer students and precocious freshman as a way to opt-out of the basic writing class. The rumor was that no one ever passed the test. It was very clear that the school was determined to funnel everyone through this course.

I, on the other hand, was determined that I would not be taking freshman writing as a 20-something year old. I was a transfer student, had other interests, and didn’t want to waste my time. Now, I consider myself to be a strong writer and I test well. Perhaps everyone feels that way, but I went into the test with confidence. I zipped off an essay (handwritten in a blue book) that I was extremely happy with.

Not long after, I received word. I had not received a high enough score to waive the writing requirement. I was stunned. And embarrassed. And more than a little outraged. I called up the department head and explained that I had just received my test results. I very calmly said, “I am disappointed to see that I didn’t pass the exam. I was wondering if someone would take the time to sit down with me and go over my essay. I’d love to know what I could have done differently.” They told me they would set up an appointment.

The next day I received another letter from the department. It stated that upon further review, they had decided to waive my freshman writing requirement.

This experience reminded me of a few important life lessons:

1. As long as it’s reasonable (and sometimes when it isn’t), always ask for what you want and need.
2. Don’t be afraid to question authority. Just learn to do it from a place of deference (not because you should have to, but because you’ll get better results).
3. Have confidence in yourself.
4. Just because everyone else has to take freshman writing doesn’t mean that you have to take it, too.

By the way, I remain convinced that they never even bothered to read the essays.

The books that most fueled my love of writing when I was young were the “Emily” books by L. M. Montgomery. I know when most people hear her name, they think of the Anne of Green Gables series, which are some of my most favorite books ever. =} But Emily is the writer and her passion for it spoke to me when I was just starting to express myself through writing. I think Emily is the character who used to write letters to herself in the future, a habit I picked up and maintained until I got married and my life went insane! I hope to pick it up again soon.

My other cherished writing book is a battered copy of Life’s Companion: Journal Writing as a Spiritual Quest. It’s by Christina Baldwin, but it has illustrations by Susan Seddon Boulet. The book is a bit new-agey, but I like the exercises. Most of all, though, I really enjoy the illustrations. Her later paintings were inspired by Native American artwork with archetypal images of Gods and Goddesses. You can view some of her work at the Turning Point Gallery online. This book supported my journalling habit in college!

Oops in that I forgot to change the title on my last post when I changed my mind about my topic. Ack. Some days are like that.

Woo-Hoo because register for BlogHer Boston today. Can’t wait to meet some of the other local bloggers and  share ideas.

I’ve requested the book Six Figure Freelancing from the library. I’m looking forward to reading it. I also read Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer not that long ago.

I’m always looking for great books on writing, being a writer, and inspiration. If you have a favorite, please share it.

I used to travel quite a bit for work before I had my kids. My last job involved domestic travel here in the US, but also visits to the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Taiwan. I loved seeing new places, but eventually got tired of being away from family and friends.

Now, I miss it. I was inspired by all of the different cultures, friendly people and interesting environments. It just changed my perspective on my own world. Anyway, I hope to start traveling again when the kids are a bit older. Maybe I’ll do some travel writing!

Why do you think someone who loves to write would pursue a degree in electrical engineering? Yeah, I don’t know, either.

If you’ve ever had to write a bio, you know that it’s tricky. You need to find a difficult balance between highlighting all of your skills and talent, and remaining somewhat modest and practical. Once again, the quest for perfection kept me from writing the About section for this site. In the spirit of letting go and just getting it down on paper, I finally posted my About page. Check it out…