Every day I log into my phone station, I recite the mantra, “Locked and Loaded.” It makes my coworkers laugh.
A writer’s world consists of what the writer must do to create the world they want you to experience. Sometimes this includes holding down day-jobs so we can gather fodder to mesmerize your mind. This can go very well or very tediously. What I’m getting at is, these masterpieces have to come from somewhere.
What is it that I do when I’m not writing? I’m in a cubicle, working customer service. I am just a voice on the other end of your magazine subscription. Sometimes you are overjoyed with the discount I just gave you. Other times you are angry I cannot answer the question you should be directing to your post office. Most times I am just as happy or as mad as you have been towards me. We experience a roller coaster ride of emotion, together, in a phone call that typically lasts three minutes and fifteen seconds, but I will do my best to get you out of there by two, sharp. I am ready for the most complicated, irate, impatient, overly happy, polite, begging individuals I didn’t even realize could exist.
The best moments come when I have to explain the unwarranted subscription was included in your eHarmony membership and you suddenly hang up. Even better is when I have to explain this to a spouse. “I don’t know why he would sign up for eHarmony, ma’am.” A personal favorite is the man who asked me, “What is the Internet?” Then I sometimes have to endure the cancellations due to death. The true test for me was being able to take the next call right after the man who explained he lost his leg due to illness and couldn’t afford the magazine and his medical bills. It’s true, what they say about everyone having a story.
You may be asking yourself what all this could do for my writing abilities. If I’ve learned anything, it’s how to accurately elicit a desired reaction. I have gained an understanding of even something as small as a monthly publication making a difference in someone’s life. As a writer, I can only hope I would make a difference in someone’s lifetime…
Why do I love what I do? No matter what I have to do during the day, writing enables me to take any isolated moment and turn it into something we can all share. My goal as a writer is to pull together a story where everyone can find a common chord in my perspective. If I can do that, then I can share life with all of you…
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