You Write How You Speak or You Speak How You Write?

A few weeks ago, one of my co-workers and I were having a conversation about something and I was telling her a story. I have no idea what the story was about, but when I was finished, she was looking at me kind of funny, and after a pause, said, "Have you noticed that you talk the way you blog?" And I replied, "...what? What do you mean?" She said, "The way you speak is exactly the same way that you write your blog."

So that got me thinking. And then it got me re-reading some of my blog entries. But I didn't have to read much, because I already knew that what she'd said was true.

My good friend Sara, author of Gravitas & Giggles, coincidentally wrote a blog post similar to this a little while ago, and I happened across it earlier this week when I was writing my Recommended Reads Part 2 post. Sara really put it perfectly when she said her ears are her editors, and I think mine are the same.

As I write a blog entry, I can hear myself saying the words in my head, the same way I'd say them out loud. It's exactly the way I would say them if you and I were having a conversation. Heck, I'm doing it right now!

I guess I write the way I write (and speak) because I like my writing to be pretty simple. When I write a blog entry, it's usually for my own enjoyment, but I'm also thinking of the possibility that someone else is going to read it, and I want it to be an easy, enjoyable experience for them as well. I don't want them to have to tax their brain and wonder what a certain word means. So I keep it plain and simple.

When you work in communications and a large part of your work is written, you're always thinking about the flow of your writing. Whenever I write something, my brain is editing it at the same time, to make sure that what I'm trying to say makes sense in the best possible way. When it comes to blogging, I end up applying the same techniques. The PR girl in me crosses over into many other parts of my life, apparently!

So, fellow bloggers, what about your blogging styles? Do you find you do the same thing, or something similar? Are your ears your editors, as Sara said? Let me know!

Another Year Has Come and Gone...Goodbye, 2011!

I've been doing some reflecting the past few days - well, the past couple of weeks really - about how I felt about 2011. I can say right off the bat that it definitely wasn't my favourite year, and didn't turn out to be "The Year of Elizabeth...Again". I gave up on that a month or so in and decided I didn't need it to be. I'd save it for the next year. :)

Like 2010, however, 2011 was still a big year of change: change in jobs, living situations, relationships and most of all, change in me. It's funny to look back and think, "This time last year, did I ever expect all the things that have happened to have happened?" This time last year, would I have thought I'd be back living in Newfoundland? Probably not. It wasn't in my plans, but I am glad it happened. There have been a lot of things I've experienced, both good and bad, but it's all added to an eventful year.

And so, enough rambling. Let's do a recap of what 2011 held for this girl:




- Celebrating my 26th Birthday at home with my family and friends in Newfoundland after being away from them for months!

- Getting up at 3am to watch "The Wedding of the Century", the Royal Wedding coverage and ceremony, and having a "Royal Wedding Breakfast" for family and friends!

- Beginning work at one of the most amazing jobs I think I'll ever have: working on a television show for a national television network and meeting some wonderful new friends! 

- Working at CTV definitely had its perks: I got to work the CTV Upfronts and the MMVAs (Much Music Video Awards) and cross paths with lots of amazing musicians, actors and celebrities. It was really neat to see how things work behind the scenes!

- Getting to see Coldplay, one of my favourite bands in concert for the first time, was a real dream come true!








- Having the best weekend of my year with three of my best friends in Toronto. We came from all across the country for 3 days of hilarious chats, exciting wedding dress excursions and lots of dinners and drinks!

- Getting to visit Niagara Falls and Ottawa, two places I haven't been in a long time, to see family and friends before I left Ontario.










- Coming home and beginning work at the place where I started my PR career last year: the best marketing communications agency on the east coast!




So, as you can tell, it's been an eventful year. And after reflecting on all the things I've listed above, maybe it wasn't such a bad year after all!

One of my favourite things to do in life is learn: learn new recipes, learn about a new area of the world, read a new book, visit a new place, try something different. I really believe in living life to the fullest, and I try to practice that in my career and the rest of my life.

2011 was an interesting year, but to be honest, I've been looking forward to 2012 for months, for a number of reasons: My champagne birthday is coming up in March, and since it only happens once in a lifetime, I intend to make it the most memorable birthday of all; one of my best friends is marrying her long-time boyfriend, and her three bridesmaids are myself and our other two friends. A wedding of friends is something to definitely be excited about; I intend to take better care of myself and spend as much time with family and friends as possible, because as I've learned the hard way, you never really know how much time you have left with them.

And so, I can finally say, "So Long, 2011!" You helped me grow and I experience a lot. Here's to 2012, the Year of Elizabeth!

Happy New Year! This will be the best year yet!

"Twenty years from now, you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So sail away from the safe harbour. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Tadaaa! Here's the Latest...

Well, like I'd said, change was a comin', and it came.

The big news is that incase you didn't already know, I've moved from Toronto back to my home in St. John's, Newfoundland. While I loved Toronto, and still do, I felt it was time to come back to Newfoundland for a little while at least, to clear my head and figure out which direction I wanted my life to go in. That included both my personal life and professional life.

I wasn't really sure how long I'd be staying here, but as fate would have it, I ended up getting a job at one of the best PR agencies in Atlantic Canada - it wasn't something I really planned, but when you're trying to figure out your life, having a job offered to you really does help you answer some questions. This job will have me here in Newfoundland again for at least a year, which gives me plenty of time to again, figure out if I want to put down roots here, or make another move to somewhere else in Canada, or even, the world.

I'm looking forward to learning more about the PR industry here in Newfoundland, and becoming familiarized with the community in St. John's, especially social media wise. Toronto is famous for its numerous tweet ups and social media events, and being kind of new to that world here in Newfoundland, I'm still discovering what kinds of things go on here in this smaller city.

Not only that, but I decided it was time to change the look, feel and title of my blog, since I can't really say "I'm Not in Newfoundland Anymore..." because I am. So, time for a fresh, clean slate. And name! Since this blog is about me, why not call it The Elizabeth Files?

Wish me luck as I continue on in my new position at the agency! I know it's going to be a great experience, one I'll take a lot from!

The Summer That Was...Amazing

I realized while I was writing this entry that it's been exactly five months to the day since I've updated my blog. I know I've said it before, but I had a good reason!

After a month's stay home in Newfoundland in April, I returned to Toronto in May to begin a new job. And this job actually consumed my life for the next five months. I lived, breathed, slept and ate this job. And it was worth every minute of it.

I had the privilege of working on a television show, doing publicity and viewer relations for it. Yeah, I worked six days a week, didn't sleep much, forgot to eat breakfast...lunch...an afternoon snack here or there, and I didn't read a book for a looong time. But those months were some of the best of my life, especially during my (so far) short career. I worked with an outstanding team of communications professionals whom I learned a great deal from and made some great connections with. I got to see the production side of a hugely popular television show, something that not many people can say they've seen. I can't gush enough about how much I loved this job. It simply was the best. :)

I'm sad that it's over, but like all television shows, (or anything, really) all good things must come to an end. I'll never forget my summer working on Dance. It gave me a whole new appreciation for an art form that I hadn't paid much attention to for years, and has made me fall in love with dancing all over again. Plus, I learned some sweet new dance moves... (it's true, I'm thinking of taking a dance class in the new year!)

Oh, and by the way, here a few of my favourite routines from this season. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did, because as one of the videos sings...I had the time of my life. :)

The New Job: I'm Lovin' It.

I know it's been a month since I last blogged, but for good reason - I started my new job! From day one, it's been go, go, go, and I'm lovin' it.

As the newest intern on the Digital team at HRC, I'm a busy bee! Whether I'm checking spelling and grammar on a piece of writing for a colleague or doing research for someone else, or popping into a last minute brainer, I'm always kept on my toes.

Being new to any job, there's so much to learn and get used to. This job, however, is my first real "office" job, so learning the ins and outs of techie type stuff has been interesting as well. (working the printer was a big step for me. Don't even ask about sending a fax, that's too complicated right now.)

The people I work with are great - so much fun and always available to help a poor newbie like myself. No one hesitates to answer whenever I tentatively ask a question about something or other. We play while we work too, and can frequently be heard calling out random answers to riddles given by one of the Digital ladies. Our favourite answer these days? "Cars can't see dogs!"

I'm really looking forward to growing and learning more and more about the digital side of PR, and I know I'm at the best agency to do this. As always, wish me luck! I think I'm in for an excellent few months! :)

Internship = Done!

Today is the last day of my internship, and it's with a heavy heart that I'm leaving. I've really enjoyed my time here, and there are so many things I'm thankful for:

The people I've learned from, worked with, and received advice from. What an amazing group, I'm going to miss them!

The clients I've worked for and the projects I've worked on...I've been exposed to many different fields and a variety of clients, and I've really gotten a taste for the industry here in Newfoundland. I'm so glad to have worked here at home, even for a short period of time.

Thanks for an amazing couple of months, and who knows...I could be back sooner than I thought. :)

I'm Back!

I realize I've neglected my blog for a few weeks, but it's for a good reason! Not only had I been doing my internship but I'd been working part time at the bookstore...so 3 or 4 days a week, I'd work 14 hour days. Let's just say...not fun.

But my time at the bookstore came to an end, and while I was sad to go, I missed having a life outside work. Since I'm moving back to Toronto at the end of the month, I wanted to have time to spend with my family and friends before I leave.

In my last post , I talked about how well my internship is going, and I have to say, it just keeps getting better. Even though I've only been there for a few weeks, I've been so lucky to be assigned lots of different tasks, like writing for company newsletters, helping coordinate events and even heading up my own client project.

Next week is my last week, and I'm really sad to be leaving. Everyone I work with is wonderful; always full of advice and available for a chat if I ever have questions or need someone to proof read something I've written. They'll certainly be missed! :(

However, it's time to make a move and try to break into a whole other type of industry. I have no doubt I'll be learning even more in Toronto, and I'm looking forward to seeing what it has to offer.

One Week Down...and Loving it So Far!

Last week was my first week at my second agency. A little confused? Let's do a recap:

I started my internship a few weeks ago at Agency #1. Things were amazing. Then, Agency #1 shut down. A huge bummer. I was sad, I was stressed, I was frustrated and worried about what I'd do and about my immediate future.

Then, about a week and a half ago, I received word that Agency #2 agreed to take me on and let me finish my internship with them. I got to keep working with my boss from Agency #1 who is wonderful and I didn't want to have to part with, AND I'd finish my internship here in St. John's, so I can begin a job in Toronto when I return next month.

So how was the first week at Agency #2?

Fabulous.

It's been busy, it's been eye-opening, and at times it's been a bit overwhelming, as I've been thrown right into huge projects and am trying to get my footing. I'm doing lots of different things, from writing bios to making phone calls on behalf of clients, to writing countless emails about this, that and the other thing.

To be honest, I was waiting for the internship to really judge how much I liked public relations, and so far, from the few weeks that I've been interning....I really love it. I was nervous that I wouldn't like it, and I'm sure there will be days when I don't, when I bang my head on my desk in frustration, and resort to upping my chocolate fix to 8am instead of 2pm, but for now...I love it.

I've begun week 2, and the days just seem to speed by at times. When 5pm comes, I'm actually disappointed sometimes, that I have to go home. That must be a sign that you love your job, right?

Until next week, have a happy week!

Changes...again.

The past couple of weeks have been pretty crazy.

I posted an entry almost two weeks ago, sharing my excitement over getting an internship here in St. John's. I was loving it; the people, the work I was doing...it was perfect.

Until I went in last Monday morning, and was told by my boss that the company was shutting down...immediately. As in: that same day.

Needless to say, I was shocked. And then nervous. And then a full-out wreck, because I had already turned down all my internship offers in Toronto, I'd already paid my first month's rent on my apartment in Toronto, and had already been looking for jobs...all in Toronto.

I kept going over and over in my mind what I'd do...I didn't want to have to go back to Toronto without having completed my internship because I want a job when I go back...a real one, not one "in a bookstore while I'm doing my internship" job. I need to be able to support myself while I'm up there, and not have to put everything on my credit card, or something like that.

So, after a week and a half of waiting...waiting...waiting....I finally got word yesterday morning: my boss at my old placement told me that I could come to the new company she's now working at and finish my internship there. To say I'm relieved is an understatement!!

Now, I can finally continue with my job hunt, my furniture hunt (anyone know where I can get a nice desk? Anyone?) and finally get on with my LIFE, now that I'm not stuck in limbo anymore.

Whew! I wonder if the famous Barrie Doyle would count this as a crisis....hmmmm....

The unexpected (but excited) Intern!

Being home in Newfoundland for the summer, I had originally decided to wait to do my internship in September, instead of starting in May like most of the other people in my Humber PR class. And while being home with family and friends in St. John's is great, I have to say, I felt a bit....bored. I'm working part time at the bookstore again, but barely getting any hours, so I decided I wanted to do a bit of volunteer work.

To be honest, I wanted to get some PR volunteer experience before I started my internship because I thought that after four months of being out of the world of PR, I was afraid I'd have forgotten how to write a simple press release. (I know, that's unlikely, but I still feared it!)

So at a family gathering, I cornered a cousin of mine who works in the marketing industry here in St. John's, and his wife works in PR. (I know, lucky me, family members who understand my line of work!) I told them about my wanting to volunteer, and they said they'd see if they could help set me up with something. The next day, I got an email from my cousin, saying he'd gotten in contact with a friend of his at an agency here in St. John's, and to forward some writing samples to her.

I've been at this agency for a few weeks now and I'm loving it. The things I've been able to work on are even better than I thought they would be, and I'm so grateful to have such a wonderful mentor! And since I haven't had much luck securing an internship up in Toronto for the fall, my time at the agency here is actually going to be my internship now, which I'm so pleased about! Agency work here in Newfoundland is not as fast-paced as it is up in Toronto, but this is suiting me just fine for now!

I'm still returning to Toronto this fall, but instead of looking for an internship, now I'm looking for a job. If anyone has any recommendations, or knows of any openings for entry-level public relations practitioners, I'm all ears!

Have a happy week!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I know when people decide to begin blogging, they usually have a purpose to do so, and I have a number of friends from my PR world who are regular or semi-regular bloggers, each with their own unique reason for posting their thoughts online. When I signed up for this blog for school last year, I was really gung-ho on starting a blog, writing fantastic posts and having people comment and fawn over my amazing observations or what not, and updating it regularly.

That didn't really happen.

As I soon realized, you really DO need a reason to blog, and I just hadn't found my reason yet. Every blue moon, I might write a post about something that's struck a chord with me. But my first thought doesn't turn to, "I've gotta blog about that. That would make the PERFECT blog post." Usually I don't think about blogging at all, except to think, "Jeez, I wish I could keep a regular blog like my friends Alanna at the A List, or Amanda at Not a Model". I do realize however, while I'm now in the process of applying for internships and forced to take a hard look at the person I'm portraying through my online presence, that if I'm going to advertise that I have a blog, then I better actually keep it active.

I remember reading somewhere that the more active your blog is, the more readers you'll gain. And I can understand this...I check my friends blogs every few days for new posts, because they're faithful with updating. I haven't been faithful, so really, probably NO one reads my blog! (If you do, thanks!) Why would anyone think to keep checking a blog that hasn't been updated in a few weeks or months? I wouldn't.

So I got to thinking...what's my reason to blog? What in my life would be important enough, special enough, engaging enough (at least for me) to take the time to write about? And then it hit me, and admittedly I feel slightly dumb when I realized it....the header on my main page "We're Not In Newfoundland Anymore", talking about my transition from small town Newfoundland to big city Toronto. That's unique to everyone else in my blogosphere.

And so, from now on, I'll be updating my blog with posts about my quest to find an apartment in a city that I really still am new to; my hunt for an internship at a company that I'm hoping I'll love; trying to build a social circle in a place where I have little family and even fewer friends, and; attempting to really make a home for myself in a brand new place, all on my own.

It's a little (or really, a whole lot) daunting....but I think I'm up to the challenge. Happy reading! :)

Where to live...not just a question about apartments anymore.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about living in Toronto versus living in St. John's. Obviously the two cities are massively different, there's no question about that. But lately, I've been doing some hard thinking about which place I want to make my home, for the next few years at least.

When I first moved to Toronto last summer, there was no doubt I was nervous about living here, not just because I would be away from family and friends, but also for the little things, like not having a car. I can honestly say that after my friends and family, I miss my CAR the most. Public transport sucks. Completely. It had been my plan, however, to stick it out and do my study here, and then my internship, and then if I were lucky, to get a job here. Now, I'm not so sure.

Obviously I'm going to finish up school here, but I'm on the fence about my internship. When I went home to St. John's for midterm break, I met up with Colleen, my cousin's wife, who is a PR practitioner in St. John's. We had a long talk, and she told me that if I wanted an internship in St. John's, that'd be no problem, she'd hook me up with something no problem. But, she said, if I wanted real experience and to really get to know PR, I should stay in Toronto. So, that was my plan. And that's still my plan. However, due to recent events and my health not being the greatest, I've decided to make a few changes in my career path. And ultimately, it'll be better for me in the long run. I've talked with the most important people in my life about my decision, and they're respecting it, so I'm glad.

I've been saying since January that 2010 is the year of me. I'm doing things that are best for me, and things I want to do for ME. I can't make everyone happy, and I shouldn't have to bend over backwards trying to do so. Certain people in my life right now are not exactly positive influences, so my relationships with them are changing, for the better, for me at least. If they have a problem with me finally looking out for number one, then that's just too bad. I can't care anymore.

So....May will bring a new change to my life, one that I'm okay with. And then, a few months from May, it'll change again. But here's hoping it all goes well. :)

-E