I Love the Holidays Because I Get to Dress Like This and It’s OK If you've ever thought about writing an Op-ed . . .What I’ve Learned I’d never written an op-ed until 3 years ago—but recently I published my third op-ed in The New York Times, and the process is so unlike other writing that I’ve done that I thought I might share a little of it.
So sometimes the world makes you stop and read words. I've been struggling with imposter syndrome because who wants to read something I wrote? I'm not an expert, just a workaholic. Anyway, I started to respond to some emails and then saw your new post, so I stopped to read. These lines: " Being a stakeholder gives you an authority, a right to have your opinion be heard. Many of us shy away from thinking we’re an expert on something because that implies that we have all the answers. But replace “expertise” with “afflilation” or “identity” and you’ll find there are many areas in which you have expertise."
Which led to more cups of coffee and pondering that will last far into the day. Thank you for the words.
Dec 27, 2023·edited Dec 27, 2023Liked by Beth Ann Fennelly
Enjoy that writer’s retreat in March. It sounds like an uplifting opportunity. And your feedback on something I wrote at UGA helped me water that seed. Many thanks.
Your family was a pivotal part of my writing journey ☺️. I remember watching your boys and felt more at home because I left my two same-age teenagers at home for 6 days. Tell Tommy, I am on my 5th draft of the 'story' I hatched in Ossabaw. Joined the Ashland University MFA program too. All to say: Grateful for our time together and anyone who signs up to attend will NOT regret it.
Love this, going to be sharing it a lot among my writer friends and I'm thinking hard about my practices. Definitely exercise (duh) and, I think, evening journal-ing. I've taken to typing my journal entries and then taping them into Rhodia notebooks into which I also scrawl all meeting notes, whether it's my monthly training as a docent, a Zoom with accountants, the checks I write, the bills I pay. But also reading, which I've been struggling with as of late, although I have a plan to change that in '24.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this, Beth Ann! The only op ed i ever wrote was in my high school newspaper (late 1960s) when I was pissed with a teacher. Maybe I'll try my hand again . . . 60-something years later. But at age 72 I find myself less pissed at things that once bothered me greatly. Not sure if this is a good thing or not. Peace out.
Thanks for this inspiration. I was furious about our previous flag. I’m furious about Confederate Heritage Month, Confederate Memorial Day and the Confederate memorial statues planted in the front yards of nearly every county courthouse in our state.
I actually did write and submit an op-ed last year on the injustice of a taxpayer financed paid holiday for over 25,000 state employees to honor and glorify Confederate insurrectionists.
Next thing I knew, there it was, hogging the whole bottom half of the opinion page. They even added my file photo from when I was Cook of the Week from the year before.
OMG. Only parenthetically related to this post, but I happened across your Substack just now and realized you were THAT Beth Ann, the one who wrote Heating & Cooling, which I loved so much that I bought it in violation of our NO MORE NEW BOOKS house edict. I cannot begin to explain how happy finding you here makes me. Plus, we have very similar things that piss us off, esp. the belief that studying the humanities should not be reserved for rich people. So thrilled to find you here in the waning days of 2023!
Thanks for this post. I’ve written three Op-Eds for The Seattle Times and have a fourth coming out in a week. Book reviews and Op-Eds were forms that I experimented with during the pandemic and I appreciate you referring to opinion pieces as a form. From poetry, it has been a nice leap towards prose and I love the limited word count, ha! I’m inspired to submit an Op-Ed to the NYT, maybe as a sort of a NY resolution/goal. Great tips here on how to decided on a topic that speaks to your background and pissed-offness. Great outfit, btw!
So sometimes the world makes you stop and read words. I've been struggling with imposter syndrome because who wants to read something I wrote? I'm not an expert, just a workaholic. Anyway, I started to respond to some emails and then saw your new post, so I stopped to read. These lines: " Being a stakeholder gives you an authority, a right to have your opinion be heard. Many of us shy away from thinking we’re an expert on something because that implies that we have all the answers. But replace “expertise” with “afflilation” or “identity” and you’ll find there are many areas in which you have expertise."
Which led to more cups of coffee and pondering that will last far into the day. Thank you for the words.
Enjoy that writer’s retreat in March. It sounds like an uplifting opportunity. And your feedback on something I wrote at UGA helped me water that seed. Many thanks.
Love this so much! (Not the death threats! 😳) but your light, humor, and spirit accessorizes every word. Happy everything! Thankful for your voice! ❤️
Your family was a pivotal part of my writing journey ☺️. I remember watching your boys and felt more at home because I left my two same-age teenagers at home for 6 days. Tell Tommy, I am on my 5th draft of the 'story' I hatched in Ossabaw. Joined the Ashland University MFA program too. All to say: Grateful for our time together and anyone who signs up to attend will NOT regret it.
Love this, going to be sharing it a lot among my writer friends and I'm thinking hard about my practices. Definitely exercise (duh) and, I think, evening journal-ing. I've taken to typing my journal entries and then taping them into Rhodia notebooks into which I also scrawl all meeting notes, whether it's my monthly training as a docent, a Zoom with accountants, the checks I write, the bills I pay. But also reading, which I've been struggling with as of late, although I have a plan to change that in '24.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this, Beth Ann! The only op ed i ever wrote was in my high school newspaper (late 1960s) when I was pissed with a teacher. Maybe I'll try my hand again . . . 60-something years later. But at age 72 I find myself less pissed at things that once bothered me greatly. Not sure if this is a good thing or not. Peace out.
Thanks for this inspiration. I was furious about our previous flag. I’m furious about Confederate Heritage Month, Confederate Memorial Day and the Confederate memorial statues planted in the front yards of nearly every county courthouse in our state.
I actually did write and submit an op-ed last year on the injustice of a taxpayer financed paid holiday for over 25,000 state employees to honor and glorify Confederate insurrectionists.
Next thing I knew, there it was, hogging the whole bottom half of the opinion page. They even added my file photo from when I was Cook of the Week from the year before.
Passion definitely helps!
Will you be offering other workshops on 2024?
Irena! What a great comment! I love that that I made you violate your edict. High praise, and thank you. Happy start to your 2024!
OMG. Only parenthetically related to this post, but I happened across your Substack just now and realized you were THAT Beth Ann, the one who wrote Heating & Cooling, which I loved so much that I bought it in violation of our NO MORE NEW BOOKS house edict. I cannot begin to explain how happy finding you here makes me. Plus, we have very similar things that piss us off, esp. the belief that studying the humanities should not be reserved for rich people. So thrilled to find you here in the waning days of 2023!
Thanks for this post. I’ve written three Op-Eds for The Seattle Times and have a fourth coming out in a week. Book reviews and Op-Eds were forms that I experimented with during the pandemic and I appreciate you referring to opinion pieces as a form. From poetry, it has been a nice leap towards prose and I love the limited word count, ha! I’m inspired to submit an Op-Ed to the NYT, maybe as a sort of a NY resolution/goal. Great tips here on how to decided on a topic that speaks to your background and pissed-offness. Great outfit, btw!