A few weeks ago, Doug Brown and Dave Shultz spent part of their morning singing the praises of column writing.
“You can bring a bit of personality back to yourself as a news reporter” and “Thursday has an open spot,” they chirped.
Initially, I had flashbacks to my college adviser — he was that type of newspaper guy you’d see in movies, always pushing for opinion columns that sparked backlash and incited something salacious. I am, definitively, not that type of reporter.
Doug, seeming to pick up on my internal conflict between that sort of writing and news writing, added, “It can be more like a slice of life.” I said I’d think about it.
That night, I mentioned the opportunity to one of my closest friends, Ellie, who is also in her first post-graduation job in publishing and working near her hometown. We had worked together on our college newspaper for four years, with our senior year spent as co-editors of the paper. We’ve probably spent thousands of hours together — if anyone is going to aptly call me out, it’s her.
And she absolutely did. Ellie actually chuckled at my apprehension. It sounded like a good opportunity, she said. Once again, I said I’d think about it.
And I did. I wrestled with the idea for a couple of weeks.
Finally, on a slow afternoon, I decided I was going to sit at Hugh’s Bakery and Coffeehouse and force myself to just write something. I figured if I couldn’t find writing inspiration in a scotcheroo and a summer special drink, it was a hopeless cause anyways.
As I walked from the News-Banner office, I started mentally going over possible ideas and even ledes for the column. What would I even write about? Should I talk about my background? Do I write professionally or more personally?
While I was busy thinking about all this, I missed a spot of uneven sidewalk, fell and scraped my knee.
Now, this isn’t entirely out of the ordinary for me — I’m quite a clumsy person. At first, I just popped right up and headed along the way. But after drowning my embarrassment in an iced lavender latte, I took pause. I finally knew what to write about: hitting the ground.
My last few months have been a whirlwind.
I accepted my position at The News-Banner on May 20, graduated from Taylor University the next day, moved the following week and started working on May 31. And if that weren’t full enough, as an Adams County native, I’m getting to know a fairly new community, learning names and catching up on local issues older than I am.
More than a couple of times it’s been a “baptism by fire,” as Dave calls it — endearingly, I’m sure.
In short, I’ve hit the ground running. And, on occasion, maybe just hit the ground. But I suppose that’s not always a bad thing.
While I’ve always struggled a bit with perfectionism, with so much to learn here, “thinking about it” became a default. Truthfully, I could probably brainstorm ideas for my whole life and still miss the point — columns like these add a bit of color to the typically black and white world of newspapers.
Yes, it’s been a whirlwind, but it’s been a joy. I’m still getting to know Wells County, and will no doubt have many more “baptism” moments, but I’m happy to grow through it alongside a wonderful newspaper staff and community.
I’m not claiming I’ll never overthink things again (it’s terminal, I’m afraid), but I’m thankful for moments that remind me to get my head out of the clouds, watch my step and just write a column already.
holly@news-banner.com
