Firsts

This is my first ever blog post.  My first ever website. My first ever business venture.  Most of all, though, this is the first time I’m venturing into something I love professionally – using words to create a living.

Language fascinates me to no end.  How we communicate with one another is the core of all relationships.  We learn from a young age to temper our words so we don’t hurt others while at times we often end up hurting those closest to us by choosing an ill-advised phrase.  Words have been the core of our entertainment and education from our earliest history.

The picture you see is a default that came with this WordPress account.  I don’t know where exactly it is but I can tell it’s on a Greek island, possibly Santorini or Mykonos.  Greece has been the place my young self always felt the most authentic and connected, it’s where I realized the power of words.  I speak 3 languages – English, French & Greek.  One day I came across some German tourists at a shop who were having trouble communicating in our little village.  They spoke very broken English and fairly fluent French.  I helped them get their groceries which gave me a sense of accomplishment.  It was then, that I truly realized the power of communication and its unifying effect on us.

I spent my entire university career studying how words affected civilizations.  From Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, the invention of the printing press, Martin Luther’s bulletin on his church door, the Declaration of Independence, the UN Declaration of Human Rights and now the internet. Words have the power to create revolts, to inform us, and yes, even entertain us.  I hope that my small part as an editor helps an author express themselves succinctly and effectively so that they can continue to entertain and educate us with their beautiful words.

Here’s to firsts.