Hi!

Yeah, I know…it’s been awhile. If you follow me on Facebook, you’ve read posts there that I probably should have put here. I mean it was high-quality content, why not share it with the world instead of just my FB friends and followers?

Because I’m lazy. I mean, to post here, I have to open a browser window, type http://www.wordpress.com/wordsfromawriter and then wait for the page to load, log in click “Write” and finally *finally* I can share my thoughts. Then I have to choose the platform on which to share, create tags…blah blah blah. It’s just easier to post to Facebook.

Just one problem. As much as I love Love LOVE my FB fam, posting there is a lot like preaching to the choir. When you post something and either everyone’s going to agree with you or those who don’t just keep scrolling sans comment…it becomes an echo chamber.

Now, as much as I love it when people agree with me, it quickly becomes boring AF.

So.

I’m going to make a conscious effort to post on this blog more often. You know, I’ve started two other blogs since this one and they are even more woefully neglected. If blogs were children, they’d be in foster care. If blogs were goldfish, they’d be dead. If my blogs were a carton of milk, the contents would be curdled and my face would be on the carton.

Have I sufficiently beaten the concept into the ground? Cool.

But I digress.

As usual.

Anyway.

I’m going to commit to posting here once a week, most likely on Friday. It’ll probably be some sort of round up regarding how my week went and updates about my writing work, you know, since the blog IS called Words from a WRITER. That being said, I’m going to do that right now by answer some of your most pressing questions.

Hey Kim, where’s the dating book?

I’m working on it! I vacillate between “The world could really use this book, if for no other reason, so some know they aren’t the only ones going through this,” and “What’s the freakin’ point? Our society is doomed.” The stance goes the way of my messages from guys on dating sites. This week I’ve started an interesting experiment that was based on a post based on a Twitter thread. The results have been….interesting. The experiment is ongoing, so I’ll post more about it next week, but the waves just keep ebbing and flowing in the dating pool. For example, this “gem”: (WARNING: scroll through and read this part later because *NSFW*)

I bet his mother is so proud.

Anyway, I’m sifting though messages I’ve received and putting together the dos and don’ts now. As soon as I’m done with that, I can work on the other portions of the book, such as success stories, etc.

Okay great Kim…now what about the sequel to Words from the Rents? There was supposed to be a sequel. Where is the sequel???

….it’s coming too. You see, I used up a HUGE chunk of Skip and Mary Belle’s witticisms writing the first book. They’re older…crankier…and on to me so now if I laugh at something they say, I get a stern look and “Oh sure, this is going in your next book, isn’t it?” So, I have to be covert in my collecting methods. Also, I’m thinking of incorporating more personal essays into the next one. So there will still be plenty of Skip and Mary but a. not necessarily in conversation form and b. more me. Diva coming along for the ride (grudgingly) and the grandkid is at the age where she’ll make a debut as well. All in good time, my friends. All in good time.

There is so much more I could share, but this is already a novel (with pictures!) so I’ll save them for another post. Until then (most likely next Friday but could be sooner we’ll see), thanks for sticking around and reading along. Enjoy your weekend! 🙂

 

 

 

This Is Why We Have Issues…

I just read an article about a television news report that made a 4-year sound like a future gangbanger.

Why is that newsworthy for a writer’s blog? Well, I’ll tell you why.

Better yet, go read/hear for yourself.

If the above link doesn’t work, follow this:

Don’t worry, I’ll wait.

OK — up to speed? Good.

Now, as if the original newstory was not bad enough — it’s the apology I want to focus on here. It was on the page for the above link, but in case you didn’t see it, here it is:

We accept responsibility for the mistakes that were made, both in the reporting and editing of the story. The video of the child should not have aired. As soon as news management identified the problem, they took immediate steps to ensure that the video would not air in subsequent newscasts. In addition, we have followed up with our employees to make sure that we all have learned from the mistakes that were made.

source: http://gawker.com/5826178/tv-station-makes-little-law+abiding-boy-sound-thuggish

I’m gonna use an old english class exercise called parsing, but instead of telling you where the subjects and verbs are, I’m going to tell you where the stupidity in this statement exists.

We accept responsibility for the mistakes that were made, both in the reporting and editing of the story.

Gee, isn’t that nice! Sure you don’t want to blame his parents, the astrological alignment of the stars or the NBA lockout?

The video of the child should not have aired.

Um, no. The issue isn’t that the video aired, the issue is that you made him sound like a wannabe gang-banger instead of an aspiring police officer. Cuz, ya know, every black kid wants to BE in prison, not the guys putting criminals in them.

 As soon as news management identified the problem, they took immediate steps to ensure that the video would not air in subsequent newscasts. 

Read: “As soon as we realized that black people watched the news, got pissed, called the NAACP and blew up our telephone lines, we knew the joke wasn’t funny to anyone but us.”

In addition, we have followed up with our employees to make sure that we all have learned from the mistakes that were made.

Hum…I’m guessing a day-long training seminar on cultural diversity and racial sensitivity, followed by several free spots for the NAACP, and a couple of donations to inner city schools should balance it all out. Oh, and a photo op of the kid meeting a police officer, of course. He’ll be in the cops arms, wearing his hat. It’ll be all warm and fuzzy. Can’t wait to see the video on YouTube.

Now, there is NO way, NO how I will ever believe that the edits for the video were a mistake. Too many people have a hand in making newscasts for that to have gone through without at least one person’s approval. Hell, I can’t write an article on “How To Make a Ham Sandwich” without needing approval from three editors.

And this is why writers and the media in general are losing credibility daily. A quote from a kid about having a gun when he grows up is newsworthy. The fact that he’d have a gun because he would be a police officer is not. Who has time to tell the truth — we have a general public to frighten inform!  Truth be damned.

Most days I’m proud to be a writer and part of the media. Today is not one of them.