Diana Holliday and the Quest to Write

Diana Holliday has been a content producer with AC since August 1, but she hasn't produced any content yet. Why?-you might ask. The answer to this question may be more complicated than you think.

Diana, who lives in Los Angeles, agreed to an interview by sending me an e-card in the form of a poem on World Kindness Day, November 13, with the message that "Every Act of Kindness Becomes a Treasured Memory." So we can say from the outset that Diana is a sensitive, caring person, if a bit sentimental. I'd like to duplicate her greeting in her own rhyming style:

"From my heart there is something that I'd like to say
Thank you for touching my life in a special way
The things that you do are appreciated by me and
I'm writing it down for the whole world to see
An act of kindness is a gift from the heart
A smile, a hello is a great place to start
I promise you'll enjoy how it will make you feel
Blessings that come and a magic that's real
Just because is the reason I'm trying to say
Have a wonderful, wonderful World Kindness Day!"

In a P.S., she goes on to say that she accepts my interview request because it just might be what she needs to push the muse to help her produce. She says she believes she can make a difference if one person reads what she writes, and she will continue to try until she succeeds.

It's perfectly clear that Diana is beset with self-doubt and could use some encouragement: "By giving people a new way to listen and hear/I believe I can conquer my doubts and fears." She adds that writing is her "hope and future career," and that it's perfectly clear that writing is a good choice for making money because "words are free."

So, Diana, who sees herself as a "strange and different kind of person," saw an opportunity to make some money and clicked on Associated Content. "Then, as I looked through the site, it seemed that I had to sign up to even read anything. I'm an avid reader and I suppose I figured I could write an article or at least try to."

But she got "intimidated" because she's not very fast at typing and she couldn't figure out what she should write about. She figured she wouldn't be able to get it on the site in time for it to do any good and it would be lost like so many of her good letters and thoughts. "It's not because I'm unwilling or incapable of expressing myself, but I am constantly second guessing myself."

When asked what kind of writing interests her most, Diana's reply suggest she may be suffering from a kind of writing anxiety disorder or even Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Listen as she explains: "That's another weird thing . . . I'm so diverse in my love of language and story-telling preferences that it's overwhelming for me and I find that staying focused for any real length of time a challenge! I could be having this great idea to share and the moment I get a line or two down I lose my flow or train of thought." She says making people laugh comes naturally to her in speaking that she wishes she could type as fast as she talks. Don't we all. "Or if I could write the stuff down as funny as when it came out of my mouth when I said it, I'd be a helluva great comedy writer."

But there is always a "but," she says, and the list of excuses for not writing seems endless.

Diana loves all kinds of writing from serial killers to romance, history and biographies, fiction and non-fiction alike. "I read every newspaper I can get my hands on, the Yellow Pages in every city I go to, magazines, how to's. . . . I'm a relentless reader and I'm always trying to find ways to make the 'boring' readings more interesting. A new author, a new subject I wouldn't read before. And I'm always looking for information and knowledge on ideas people have asked me to look into for them."

Her major strength in writing is her ability to keep people reading. She says she writes as if she's talking to the reader. "It's important to have your readers feel like you know them and are not talking down to them, or make them feel as if you think they're stupid.

"No one likes to be treated poorly," she continued, "and it's important to have that understood from the start. I like to share my words with a person as if I'm sitting on the couch with them, just hanging out together and we're having a blast talking. And sharing a beautiful thought between us, and nothing else matters."

Diana likes to write erotica, song lyrics, parodies, poetry, her-stories (because his-stories are a bit different), comments to the peanut-gallery, etc.

"I guess I just love to express myself on paper. It's easier than talking because you can always edit. I'm still learning how to edit before I say stuff I shouldn't. If you ask, I tend to answer, and it's not always good to do that."

When asked if she could set a deadline for publishing on Associated Content, Diana Holliday said, "I can't say for certain that I can set a date/deadline for myself until I've been walked through the process as an observer at least once.

"Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, but this is something I feel I need to do right. With limited experience I feel challenged to meet certain standards of professionalism that I set for myself and when I feel close-Yeah, why not!!!"

Why not indeed. Diana wrote most of this in an e-mail in response to a number of questions I asked for the interview. I think she could have said it just as easily in her own article for AC. She expresses herself well with clarity and brevity. Like any writer, she might consider polishing her literary furniture, and I think she would do fine.

Thanks Diana for the interview.