Write from the start
I've been very fortunate to make a career out of curiosity and words. As I was growing up, my mom used to take us to the "Bookmobile." Her mom, my Memere, would play Scrabble with us every week. My dad and I would have "pun-offs," where we'd see whose would be the last pun standing. And for my most favorite childhood pastime of all time — my brothers and sisters and I would script mock newscasts and act them out before anyone who'd watch. Just think where I'd be now if I'd stuck with that.
Fifth and dime
About fifth grade, my business sense kicked in, and a buddy and I began selling "nicknames for a nickel" to fellow classmates. You could commission one for yourself or in someone's honor/dishonor. "The Two Left Feet" and "Stadia" are the two I still remember. Considering the fact that our other business was mowing jungle grass in a humid suburb of New Orleans, those were probably the first sweat-free ten cents we'd ever earned.
School, school
I was taught the classics at a Jesuit high school and did speech and debate for fun. I got a well-rounded — "spherical" is more like it — liberal arts education at Purdue University, studying things like film, video production, linguistics, semiotics, philosophy, rhetoric, history, anatomy (for nursing majors? I did that?), Shakespeare, and German. I picked up guitar, began writing songs, formed a band.
And more school
My master's program was in the exciting field of Organizational Communication — exciting to those of us who found it exciting, at least. My thesis is about how an organization creates its identity, and itself, with words: "A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF LUEA'S STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN AND NEWSLETTERS — AN INVESTIGATION INTO ORGANIZATIONAL IDENTITY." I can send you a copy, if you'd like. No? You sure? It's no problem. Really no? Okay.
A too-short paragraph about the most important people in my life
My German studies led me for a time to Europe, whereupon I fell in love with another language freak, my marriage to whom has led to two amazing children and all the stuff in life for which there are no words.
Oh, and I'm a copywriter
I've been doing this professionally now for ten years, on my own for about eight of those. One day, I was wondering whose job it was to write the stuff on the back of shampoo bottles. The next day, I got a call. As it happened, I was now going to be that guy, for a project or two anyway. And that's the kind of prestige I enjoy, picking some obscure item off the shelf, pointing to an occasional ad or TV spot, and saying to whomever is nearby, usually just me, that "I wrote that."
Some closing words
So in summary, I love to write. And I love chocolate. |
