Writing Home: Finding My Right Writing Medium

The following was written as a post for my LinkedIn profile. Coincidentally, it helped inspire me to create this digital portfolio.

I wondered, for a long time, if and when my writing skills would peak, or at least consolidate into fewer, more-focused avenues. It’s my own doing; I know I ultimately control the destination. However, the path has been (and still is) pretty indecisive.



I’ve liked writing for as long as I can remember, but like many great self-realizations, I noticed I loved it very early in college. When others would doodle, sketch, drum their pens, text, web-surf or just catch some shut-eye, I often found myself scribbling a weekly schedule, to-do’s, letters to my future wife, or simple lists of my favorite this-and-that’s.

My written products have come in all shapes and sizes. I’ve never published a scholarly article or book, though these certainly loom as possible next-steps. I've written weekly articles for my tiny-hometown newspaper for about a decade, filled a blog for a couple years, constructed countless papers while receiving bachelor’s degrees in both Spanish and Journalism, gone through several personal-journal phases, started (and left unfinished) several creative writing ideas, and even fostered an interest in comedic poetry for a while. I wrote copy for ads at one job, highly scientific and technical articles for a newsletter at another, and have found a way to incorporate writing into every occupation I’ve held, whether in the job description or not.

That brings me to the present. I write instructional training materials as a job, papers as a full-time master’s student in Journalism, scripts for an array of videos on my Vidme channel and, obviously, posts for LinkedIn as I try to demonstrate my writing acumen. Oh, and I still write a weekly article for my tiny-hometown newspaper. I admit it all does wear on me, though the diversity of requirements to meet for each venture keeps things interesting.

When it does wear on me, I find myself asking, hoping, and even contriving ways to consolidate or concise it all. Maybe without so many writing responsibilities, I tell myself, I’d have the energy to write a novel or compile a focused portfolio to land a unique career. Is it possible that what I consider a diverse array of experiences is actually a handicap?

At the moment, I’m placing my bet on “no,” but I’m not positive. I’d love for this paragraph to be filled with career-changing answers, but I have little to offer myself. All I know for certain is that speculating here about the entire riddle feels good. It’s helpful to talk, or write, about problems even when no solution results. Maybe there’s not a clear solution because there’s not a clear problem.

I don’t expect things to work themselves out. However I do expect that, if I work hard in all my writing ventures and make good decisions, I’ll eventually find and settle down into a writing home.