Biographies
How do I outline my life for strangers?
Not just the issue of an image, taking and choosing a picture, but I had to draw up a short bio. I found myself trying out sentences and choices in my head when I needed to go to sleep, or when I was not home to do anything about it, and generally deciding that there was time aplenty, so turn off the worry and take care of other things.
Then I had notice of a deadline as I was getting ready to go away, due three days after my return. Oh oh, have to actually figure this out now. An introduction to the newspaper people (second half of this post) is a different thing: dear editors, this is why I would be interesting or this what I bring to the table. Instead I was tasked with a self-synopsis which would be up and sitting every time a person clicked on my column. Short, sweet, to the point (we hope).
I have had a pretty cool life in many respects. I had an amazing upbringing, experiencing travel, exposure to government, family, art, music, literature, and the benefit of both parents' education and service. My father is an art dealer with a master's in public relations and my mother received an Ivy League education and had a family, and later taught writing for the high school English department. We all took French, traveled all over the country, and lived in the nation's capitol while my grandfather was a sitting U.S. senator. I am related to or descended from some pretty wonderful people, and they had many singular experiences, and I had singular exposure to them. It is a heritage I treasure, but it is not me individually, and making those facts a declaration of my identity would seem vain.
I could tell you why we had to go off the silver standard (to those despised 'sandwich' coins) and why Nixon was an idiot when the Watergate scandal broke, and why it's the Senate that ratifies treaties. I could tell you that one of the best teachers I ever had was Patricia Rudy for 9th grade civics, and I was one of two class members with a family relationship in Congress at the time.
The chairman of the FCC was in our ward, as were one of the senior editors of the Washington Post (he was on my scholarship committee), various members of Congress at various times, George Romney when he was HUD secretary--but Mitt was grown and gone--Jon Huntsman Sr. (Jr. was a kid) for a year, (I don't remember them much) and others. The Marriotts. The ward was full of doctors and lawyers and teachers. And good, faithful people.
The museums were free and we made good use of them, and my father had a stacks pass at one point to the Library of Congress. Field trips in my world were all over the place, enviable resources, but I never got to Monticello. I'd like to someday.
My mother would share her favorite poets, and talk about philosophy while we baked cookies. (She started me on science fiction, as well.) She could add to anything I was studying. I checked out books on mythology, Greek, Roman, and Norse, like some kids read fairy tales (which I liked too), and I first read the Chronicles of Narnia in the second grade. "Mom, what's this word?" "Pomegranate." There was a lot of, "Mom, what's..." but it further jump-started my reading. The end of the second grade, I was reading The Hobbit and that astonished my grandfather, because he was reading it too. My mother was driven crazy when I got a 'C' in reading in 4th grade, because I didn't want to do the book reports.
These are some of the things I thought of, as to why I had a unique life experience growing up. They don't belong on my bio, but they are things I might tell you about as we get to know each other.
On the other hand, the standard questionnaire wasn't so exciting. Born, raised, family, education, honors and achievements, work history(not much). In the world's terms, I don't look like anything amazing. How much does that matter?
I started and was completely disgusted with the result, and scratched it all. Too many fun bits to fit in specifics for the space constraints. Too flat in just the x-y-z sequence of standard life events. What did I want?
I decided that I would line out what I thought made me the person that I am, in brief. When I started that way, it flowed naturally and felt right even after the next two days--a sign that it was fitting, to me at least. Some things are included because I felt they should be, for instance my high school. I don't care that much about high school after all these years; I had an average not in-crowd/popular, not miserable or bullied kind of experience. I had a small number of good friends, and I have lost contact with them. But I had the sense that someone would look at this from somewhere and wonder if that was me, with a married name, and I should make it possible for such a person to know that it was.
College is included because it mattered to me then and now, and I have some pride in that. It would have been easy, marrying as early as I did, to forgo my degree, but neither I or my husband would consider that.
I ended up with a profile of what makes me me in terms of subjectives, and where I am serving in the Church now. I decided not to list a history of callings--might seem like I was bragging--or background of famous relations--ditto. (Even to say there are things which could seem like bragging could be seen as indirect bragging. See how tricky this is?) I am saving some of the details of fun moments for other surprises on these pages or on that journal, but I hope that my bio gives a sense of myself. I don't know if it is what they expected, or if they wanted more of a resume, but this is it for now. Come visit my new venture, or I should say my part of this new venture, and enjoy the chance to get acquainted with all kinds of new personalities and ideas, all with a perspective of the gospel.
Note: this has been delayed for two weeks, I originally thought it would follow the choose-a-picture post by two days or so, but the launch was a week later than anticipated and my column a week more; so I have tinkered with it some. Reading the bio sketches as well as the columns for the first week, they range all over the place in terms of type. Now I have waited until I could actually see what is up before the whole world. I had to include the link that includes me, didn't I? You can come find me at nauvootimes.com. (If you click on the writer's list going down the left hand side, you will get a full-screen version and the bio.) Due to the difference in time zones, I was able to cheat and check it out tonight. I will be there every other Wednesday.
Thank you, Kathy, for extending me the invitation to 'try out' and thus be a part of the Nauvoo Times. I am excited. You nudged me into this blog, and now into a wider undertaking. I hope I live up to your hopes.
Not just the issue of an image, taking and choosing a picture, but I had to draw up a short bio. I found myself trying out sentences and choices in my head when I needed to go to sleep, or when I was not home to do anything about it, and generally deciding that there was time aplenty, so turn off the worry and take care of other things.
Then I had notice of a deadline as I was getting ready to go away, due three days after my return. Oh oh, have to actually figure this out now. An introduction to the newspaper people (second half of this post) is a different thing: dear editors, this is why I would be interesting or this what I bring to the table. Instead I was tasked with a self-synopsis which would be up and sitting every time a person clicked on my column. Short, sweet, to the point (we hope).
I have had a pretty cool life in many respects. I had an amazing upbringing, experiencing travel, exposure to government, family, art, music, literature, and the benefit of both parents' education and service. My father is an art dealer with a master's in public relations and my mother received an Ivy League education and had a family, and later taught writing for the high school English department. We all took French, traveled all over the country, and lived in the nation's capitol while my grandfather was a sitting U.S. senator. I am related to or descended from some pretty wonderful people, and they had many singular experiences, and I had singular exposure to them. It is a heritage I treasure, but it is not me individually, and making those facts a declaration of my identity would seem vain.
I could tell you why we had to go off the silver standard (to those despised 'sandwich' coins) and why Nixon was an idiot when the Watergate scandal broke, and why it's the Senate that ratifies treaties. I could tell you that one of the best teachers I ever had was Patricia Rudy for 9th grade civics, and I was one of two class members with a family relationship in Congress at the time.
The chairman of the FCC was in our ward, as were one of the senior editors of the Washington Post (he was on my scholarship committee), various members of Congress at various times, George Romney when he was HUD secretary--but Mitt was grown and gone--Jon Huntsman Sr. (Jr. was a kid) for a year, (I don't remember them much) and others. The Marriotts. The ward was full of doctors and lawyers and teachers. And good, faithful people.
The museums were free and we made good use of them, and my father had a stacks pass at one point to the Library of Congress. Field trips in my world were all over the place, enviable resources, but I never got to Monticello. I'd like to someday.
My mother would share her favorite poets, and talk about philosophy while we baked cookies. (She started me on science fiction, as well.) She could add to anything I was studying. I checked out books on mythology, Greek, Roman, and Norse, like some kids read fairy tales (which I liked too), and I first read the Chronicles of Narnia in the second grade. "Mom, what's this word?" "Pomegranate." There was a lot of, "Mom, what's..." but it further jump-started my reading. The end of the second grade, I was reading The Hobbit and that astonished my grandfather, because he was reading it too. My mother was driven crazy when I got a 'C' in reading in 4th grade, because I didn't want to do the book reports.
These are some of the things I thought of, as to why I had a unique life experience growing up. They don't belong on my bio, but they are things I might tell you about as we get to know each other.
On the other hand, the standard questionnaire wasn't so exciting. Born, raised, family, education, honors and achievements, work history(not much). In the world's terms, I don't look like anything amazing. How much does that matter?
I started and was completely disgusted with the result, and scratched it all. Too many fun bits to fit in specifics for the space constraints. Too flat in just the x-y-z sequence of standard life events. What did I want?
I decided that I would line out what I thought made me the person that I am, in brief. When I started that way, it flowed naturally and felt right even after the next two days--a sign that it was fitting, to me at least. Some things are included because I felt they should be, for instance my high school. I don't care that much about high school after all these years; I had an average not in-crowd/popular, not miserable or bullied kind of experience. I had a small number of good friends, and I have lost contact with them. But I had the sense that someone would look at this from somewhere and wonder if that was me, with a married name, and I should make it possible for such a person to know that it was.
College is included because it mattered to me then and now, and I have some pride in that. It would have been easy, marrying as early as I did, to forgo my degree, but neither I or my husband would consider that.
I ended up with a profile of what makes me me in terms of subjectives, and where I am serving in the Church now. I decided not to list a history of callings--might seem like I was bragging--or background of famous relations--ditto. (Even to say there are things which could seem like bragging could be seen as indirect bragging. See how tricky this is?) I am saving some of the details of fun moments for other surprises on these pages or on that journal, but I hope that my bio gives a sense of myself. I don't know if it is what they expected, or if they wanted more of a resume, but this is it for now. Come visit my new venture, or I should say my part of this new venture, and enjoy the chance to get acquainted with all kinds of new personalities and ideas, all with a perspective of the gospel.
Note: this has been delayed for two weeks, I originally thought it would follow the choose-a-picture post by two days or so, but the launch was a week later than anticipated and my column a week more; so I have tinkered with it some. Reading the bio sketches as well as the columns for the first week, they range all over the place in terms of type. Now I have waited until I could actually see what is up before the whole world. I had to include the link that includes me, didn't I? You can come find me at nauvootimes.com. (If you click on the writer's list going down the left hand side, you will get a full-screen version and the bio.) Due to the difference in time zones, I was able to cheat and check it out tonight. I will be there every other Wednesday.
Thank you, Kathy, for extending me the invitation to 'try out' and thus be a part of the Nauvoo Times. I am excited. You nudged me into this blog, and now into a wider undertaking. I hope I live up to your hopes.
It's interesting that when I first open your blog, the first thing that comes up is your last post in January, 2012. That was the one about not getting the columnist position you were seeking. Then today -- there you are, with your bi-weekly column. Congratulations! I read it, and found it interesting and informative. I also read the bio, which was okay without being brag-ish. Did you write that, or did the editors from information you provided?
ReplyDeleteI wrote the bio, Don, with them separating the information on present church service (which I had at the end, anyway). The original column submission you refer to was for a general audience as a community reader columnist, and would have been once every six weeks for a year. This slot with the new Nauvoo Times is for a Mormon audience and does not have an expiration date. Sometimes I will be selecting pieces I have already written for my blog to pull out and use there, other times they will be brand new. I'm glad you enjoyed it today.
ReplyDeleteAnd then I married the grandson of that chairman of the FCC...
ReplyDelete