I love The Shark. She is so spot-on in her comments. I would
love to write a book and have her be my agent. Alas she does not rep what I’m
trying to write (it’s a stalled cozy-turned-straight mystery-turned
suspense-turned back to cozy-stalled at the 1/3 mark because I don’t know what
I’m doing). But if I ever figure it out and get it written, she would be my Dream Agent. She is the QOTKU (Queen Of
The Known Universe) who banishes her followers who anger her to Carkoon—some
have earned a lifelong residence there. I try not to make too many comments so I don’t get banished.
Although, it’s all in fun and the ones banished really aren’t. You can tell she
cares deeply for everyone. Even the banished. I have email alerts from several
blogs so I don’t miss them. Even when I’m having a really stressful week and I’m
not able to read the blogs, I save them. There are two that are at the
forefront of my To Read List. I make
time for them before any of the others.
Hers is number one.
In this past week’s Week
in Review post she talked about the use of acronyms and their exclusionary
effect. I’m an RN. I use acronyms and symbols in my writing all the time, to
save time and to expedite getting vital information across to others in the
health care setting. When I read her statement, it really hit me. I don’t mean
to exclude people. But that is exactly what I am doing. Using an acronym that
may or may not be well known is exclusionary. It’s a snub, intended or not. It’s
a reminder that you are not a part of the club. As someone who
has never been A-List, I know what it’s like
to be snubbed, to be reminded that I’m not a part of the exclusive club. I don’t
want to cause others to have experience that feeling—to be the person on the
snubbing end. I don’t want to be the one excluding others.
I want to be the welcoming
person—and I usually am. I speak to people and ask for their opinions. I invite
people to join in the Reindeer Games.
I ask how your day is going, and I listen
to the answer, and if you are going through a rough time I offer to pray for
you and I try to remember to ask you how it’s going the next time I see you.
However, I am very
much guilty of using shorthand, symbols, and acronyms—even though I know not
everyone knows what they mean. Oh, they
will figure it out when they see it in context I think But they don’t. And I continue to
use the acronyms—even though I know I’ll have to explain them. Maybe I need to check my motives to make sure it’s not just a
convenience thing. Maybe I need to make sure I’m not, on some level, wanting to exclude
others, “not in my club” as some sort of a sad little pay back ploy. Thanks for the reminder Janet!
So there you have it. My “W” word is Welcome.
Right about now, I'm visualizing Herve' Villechaize saying , "De
plane, Boss! De plane!" and Ricardo Montalban', the “epitome of continental
elegance, charm, and grace” (IMDb's description, but one I cannot top), opening his arms wide,
and smiling as, week after week, he said to the passengers disembarking from
the little Cessna, "Welcome… to Fantasy Island!”
This blog post is my contribution to the A to Z Blogging Challenge 2015, in which bloggers from around the world, representing every skill level and interest, blog every Monday through Saturday during the month of April, using successive letters of the alphabet as the daily inspiration.
We are in the HomeStretch and tomorrow is "X." Once again, I have no clue what I'll write about...
New follower here. I'm stopping by from the "A to Z" challenge, and I look forward to visiting again!
ReplyDeleteSylvia
www.writinginwonderland.blogspot.com
Thanks for stopping by Sylvia! I look forward to visiting your blog as well.
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