The way it's always been...

I chose to embed this song for two very good reasons:

1. Diana Ross, a babe and a legend, is beltin' out a classic.
2. I'm comin' out to y'all...as a writer.

Maybe you already figured it out. Many of you know me for journal-keeping, news-reporting, note-scribbling, and blog-posting. But chances are, I've never said to your face: "I'm a writer." To be honest, I never say it out loud.

In the same way I've been afraid to call myself fluent in Spanish, I've been hesitant to call myself a writer. Just like I constantly make mistakes in my second language, I often find myself in situations where the words don't come out right. And sometimes, they don't even come out at all.

But this trip has opened up more than one door for me. I came here, primarily, to perfect a language -- to discover new words, new expressions, new accents. An opportunity I did not foresee, was a shit ton of free time to perfect my writing.

Perfect seems like such a stronger word when I see it before writing as opposed to before language. I've learned to abandon all inhibitions when using Spanish. It's a must when it comes to learning, and later practicing, a foreign language. I'm much more inhibitive about my writing (better read: much more sensitive to criticism).

When I was younger, I went through the typical "what-I-wanna-be-when-I-grow-up" phases. First, I wanted to be a paleontologist. Then a tornado chaser. Finally, in 8th grade, I remember promising myself to be the youngest published author in history. Unfortunately, 13-year-old me didn't realize the world of competition for child authors.

Anyway, as I got older, I became more cynical about...you know...dreams. Duh, they don't happen. At least not before a long streak of disappointments. I continued to keep a journal, even through college. I continued to get paid very little for journalistic ventures, which were, for the most part, easy and fun. But attempting anything more creative, more autonomous, was pretty intimidating.

Now, seeking employment, or even feedback, for my writing -- outside of a less competitive, more laid-back university publication -- is downright terrifying. Because the worst that could happen is that I get rejected. Yeah, it's the absolute worst.

To make a long story short, I ain't gonna be a coward no more. I'm still cynical, but I'm going to stop hesitating, and start trying. Many life plans have come and gone, just as easily as a cheese pizza, but writing has always been at the back of my mind. It's always been something I knew I wanted to do. Now, it's just about letting more people see what I write.

So here I am...

Name: Sarah Sanders
Profession: Writer
Interests: Gender, travel, language, cities, psychology
Inspiration: The two Georges (Carlin & Orwell)


This is what it's all about.