Writing
By Bernadette A. Moyer

I’ve been writing for more than two decades now. My first published piece was titled; A Parent Dies, It was published in a medical journal. It was about being widowed, marrying a widower and raising three children who all lost a parent to heaven.

It took more than fifteen years before I had the courage to share our story and write about it. It was immediately affirmed by a large number of readers. Death is a subject that we will all come to know and most of us prefer not to talk about it.

I hated writing in school and I loved to read and loved words but my grammar was not good, my spelling was great and always came easy for me. So early on I had a love-hate relationship with writing. My shortcomings in grammar made me feel ashamed and caused me to avoid writing and writing projects. Teachers become so fixated on grammar that kids like me end up feeling it isn’t worth the constant correction.

As an adult I created writing vehicles for children. I didn’t want kids turned off before they were turned on to the written word and their ability to communicate and to create. The first book was Caesar Salad and I Like It and the second If I Were President. The children wrote and they were creative and then the adults edited for grammar. If was a positive experience for all involved.

Most of my writing has been about personal experiences and what I learned as a result of them. The gifts were that so many others connected to me as a result and I loved it!

I have written about life and love and joy and also about death, estrangement and abuse. My family doesn’t like when I openly share our family dysfunction. I embrace it, it is who and what made me. It has been said that “97% of families are dysfunctional” I am still waiting to meet that other 3%. If we are honest we can own that we all have our own issues and brokenness. It is called life. We weren’t made to be perfect we are human and come with our own strengths and weaknesses. I have learned that for me, owning my stuff is healthy and allows me to be open to growth and change.

Then there is the professional writing that I began over 20 years ago in my many positions in nonprofit work. It may have been an article or a newsletter, a brochure or flier and often it was a full-fledged grant. My grant writing has secured over two million dollars for a variety of nonprofits that I have been associated. Professional writing with others has opened my eyes to many styles of writers.

I have met the ones that go long and are wordy and others that cut and edit to the bare bones. Grammar was usually key, however I am proud of a new magazine that I have been included in that basically states things like 1) forget the rules and 2) make up your own words and 3) you don’t need an opening paragraph the reader will figure it out!

Everyone has a book and a blog today and yes I have been there, few get rich and make the New York Times Best Seller list unless they have a big machine and lots and lots of marketing and public relations behind them.

Many things have changed throughout the years for this writer, I have learned much and yet the two things that resonate most with me and for me is the Stephen King quote “there is no such thing as writing, there is only rewriting” almost everything written can be improved upon. And I write for the connection to others and the shared life experiences. Most often that is the best paycheck.

Just today a reader found me online and wrote, “My jaw has dropped finding you.” She has read my writings. It really doesn’t get much better than that!

Read … write … communicate … connect … that is what makes this writer deliriously happy.

Bernadette on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/bernadetteamoyer
Books by Bernadette A. Moyer on Amazon and Barnes & Noble