A career in journalism, content marketing, and creative writing have taught me so much. But the most important lesson would be the power of the written word, and in particular, the power of storytelling.
Effective storytelling can shift mindsets, heal hearts, and change the world. When the story of a person — or a business, organization, product, or movement — resonates with us, our worldview can expand in a moment. And we can reach a new level of understanding about ourselves and the other humans, creatures, and environments around us.
My story as a writer begins as many others have. Scribbling short stories and poems on every piece of looseleaf and construction paper. Filling notebooks and journals with thoughts and words and feelings of middle school/teenage/college angst, love, and discovery. Until the rhythms of the written word danced from my mind and heart and through my fingertips.
Becoming a writer has long been my career pursuit, decided on at a young age and continues decades later. From early years of poetry contests and editing school newspapers, I took youthful pride in seeing my name in magazine print, then in seeing my thoughts take shape on the Interwebs.
Then, the real magic began, as my work focused on sharing stories that moved me. Stories of the world’s innumerable creative and productive minds, and the works of art and business they channeled into the world.
A lifelong love of learning has lingered, transforming my career aspirations from “that teenage music journalist William Miller in Almost Famous” to freelance journalist and content writer for hire, to today. A journalist and content marketing creator and strategist, looking for the next story to move me, to move others, to inspire change, growth, and compassion.
Writing is a craft, and storytelling is the magic. As writers, we weave the ideas of modern humans together with deeply ingrained archetypal structures of narrative — narrative archetypes that have reverberated through human hearts and minds since the ancient mythologies of the gods. Writers thread the needle with the lingo, slang, and worries of the day. And we contribute those stories to this ever-expanding tapestry of contemporary thought, woven on a loom built by human minds of a distant-but-not-so-distant past.
I feel honored to do my part as a writer today. To ask questions, to bridge ideas, to explore parable and metaphor. And to listen, document, and share these stories — my stories, your stories, and the stories of your business and customers — as we continue weaving piece by piece, word by word, narrative by narrative, the collective story of humans today.
Words aside, I also subscribe to the art of data collection and analysis. Like the green letters, numbers, and symbols cascading through the computer screens of the Matrix, I love uncovering, interpreting, and sharing the narratives that data can tell us about our fellow humans and the health of our businesses.
And as a New Orleans native and environment-loving nerd in long-term recovery, I am an enthusiastic planner, preparer, and consumer of nom-noms and alcohol-free beverages. I also love dancing, making and playing music, studying the esoteric (“going into Hermit mode”), and enjoying various threadwork projects, from cross-stitching and embroidery to upcycling clothes and quilting T-shirt blankets.
Thank you for being here. Now, let’s tell your story.
Carolyn Heneghan 