It’s like a slow, steady exhale, the nervous system soothing after a few grounding breaths, a gentle sag and a soft fizz of energy, a breakthrough. Not a sag under the weight of all those as yet unwritten words.
Words, writing, blank white pages can cause friction, a furrowed brow. The words not quite lining up in the way you want or need. Not quite sounding like you.
What was it you wanted to say?
Then there’s the pressure of keeping the conversation going on all the platforms. Words sounding mechanical rather than authentic and ripe for relationship nurturing.
I’d see it in the fitting rooms working on the shop floor at Oliver Bonas. The way a woman emerged from behind the curtain trying on new dresses, experimenting with a new colour, pattern or fit. Dress one: Chin up, a relaxed smile, hands relaxed in the pockets, one foot forward, talking about the different places they’d wear it.
And a long five minutes later they’d barely emerge from the cubicle in dress two. Head down, nose wrinkled, shoulders rounded, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other, not looking in the mirror.
‘What do you think?’
‘How do you feel?’ I’d reply, pausing, seeing if they wanted me to say more. Was the opening there for me to say, ‘Your body language is speaking volumes.’
Dress one is what it feels like when you find your voice. Yes, it’s the words flowing but there’s something deeper going on there. It feels and sounds true, like you. It can take time and a little experimentation to find your voice on paper and on screen. but just as with the changing room, I’m here to help.
Having fun with words
The joy of writing is that just like us, they’re not static. We can have fun with them, mess around with them. Turn them upside down and back to front so that we get to a point where they line up in the right order.
I’m not the same freelancer who booked an appointment with an accountant to help her get her spreadsheets in order back in 2008 when she started out. I’m not the same writer who started writing copy for Ann Marie Cousins’ social media back in 2019 after finishing cancer treatment.
I’m not the same writer as I was eighteen months ago when I dialled down some of my freelancing to work on the shop floor. Eighteen months full of people, conversations and listening. Listening to the words being spoken out loud, and the words left unspoken but oh so present in the facial expressions and body language.
Words, writing, communicating and listening to people have always been at the heart of what I do, and that hasn’t changed. The life around those words has though.
Each life experience layers on top of the other, and it’s the same with you. The business owner, the creative you are now, is shaped by the years that have gone before and the way you express yourself in words should match who you are now.
It’s just that we’re often not the best narrator of our own story. Sometimes it takes a trusted friend, a trusted friend who’s good with words to listen and really hear what it is you really want and need to say.
If you want me to help you get your words flowing smoothly, give me a call or drop me a message. I’d love to help.
Harriet