The emotions of My Ten Bucks

I tend to be the person that others go to when they want to talk - even when they don't know me, and I don't know them. It happens everywhere I go, especially when I tell them what I do for a living. My husband says I have a sign on my forehead that says, "Talk to me."

But now, as a "freelance writer/reporter/blogger", I am looking for these experiences so that I can pass them on to you. Sometimes it is really hard to serve as this sort of medium. I never knew how "in control" I would have to be to listen, take notes, and write, while my emotions are surging around inside me. I chose a subject so very close to my heart that it is difficult to remain objective. So I don't try. When I feel myself about to well up with tears, I have to push myself to keep listening so that I get these stories right.

Furthermore, as I continue to work through this project, I realize that the only way to produce the right piece is to let the people and their missions just shine through. I'm just a filter, a window, a duct. I have to do the best darn writing I can to make myself transparent.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that this is a heck of a project. I'm challenging my own capabilities as a writer. But this isn't the kind of challenge I intend to lose. It's the kind that makes me a better person, makes me grow, and eventually, may give me my own story to tell.