I'm a Columnist Now

It's weird enough to see my name in print in a newspaper, but to have a column... wow!

My first editorial is up, with the overall title of "Word Nerd", which is what we finally decided on after quite a bit of discussion and even a tiny bit of argument. The editor, who is old-school, didn't want me to use the word "nerd" in the title, as he felt it would be detrimental to me. I explained that I'm a nerd and I accept it and that I don't at all consider it a negative, so he finally agreed.

I asked for column title suggestions on Facebook and got a lot of really good suggestions. "Gjovaag's Gjottings" and "Laura Borealis" were in serious contention for quite some time, until the editor made it clear he was hoping for something that didn't have a name in it. That sunk "Gjovaag's Gjournal," "Laura's Log," "Gjovaag Log" and "Laura's Lore".

My editor also wasn't keen on "Exile From Seattle" and "From Out of the Rain," which I liked but he felt would limit me later on. I re-used the second one as the title of this particular column, because I couldn't NOT use such a great title (which actually fits the subject) that's also a bit of a meta-textual reference for some of my fellow Doctor Who (Torchwood) fans.

The subject of my first column is about the recent changes in my life, particularly what I've seen since becoming a reporter in a small town. The title refers to both a physical and emotional difference in my life. My second column is written already and is about the thing I miss most about Seattle, which may not be what anyone thinks.

I've put up a photo of my column box, which will be appearing on all my future columns. I reduced the size to make it look better. Unfortunately, reducing it far enough that the picture doesn't bother me makes the text unreadable. If you want it full-size, you'll just have to subscribe to the newspaper.