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It takes more than typing skills to be a writer
Suzanne Molino Singleton
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It takes more than typing or grammar skills to be a writer for a newspaper. Graciousness, patience, and tact must be on our talent list as well.
It’s a fact of life that no one can please all the people all the time.
During the simple gesture of picking up a jingling phone or opening a reader’s email, we better be armed with more than a thesaurus and an AP stylebook. Like any good Christian, we must demonstrate courtesy and tolerance to others, and that includes no defensiveness.
When an unhappy camper voices displeasure with the printed word – sometimes with biting words of their own – we must employ grace to help them through it, assist them in understanding a piece in a story which struck their wrong chord.
It’s tricky, because at times we’re unprepared for the hit. We know not the hour or minute when someone might comment on our writing or the paper itself. Emails of all sentiments come fast, and the phones ring often.
What would Jesus do? He would certainly address all emails, and He would exercise patience with the positive and the negative. If the error was his, he’d be more careful the next time.
The rewarding aspect of hearing readers’ comments – and the upbeat ones are more common, thank you – is that our words move someone enough for them to reach out with a little pat on the back.
And to receive that takes no skill at all.
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