Living on the Edge

One might think from the title that I'm out there living dangerously, when in reality I'm merely busting out of the pack...sort of.

One of the perks of writing for Examiner.com (mostly it's a perk), is they have Community opportunities for the writers to bounce ideas off each other, get advice, vent, whatever - you get the idea. Yesterday while scanning through some of the various topics another writer was wondering if it's okay to, 'break the guideline of not writing our articles in first person.' Holy varied response Batman! For some writers writing in the first person is the most egregious writing faux pas an author could make. Gasp! As I'm reading the responses I felt vindicated by those who backed up the occasional use of first person, and feeling a bit chastised by those who find writing in the first person appalling.

Where is this going, you ask? A piece I wrote recently, following the 2010 Relay for Life, was written 100% from my perspective and totally first person. This article garnered me the most views to my page ever. I actually made more than a few pennies (not exaggerating), I was wildly excited. As I tell my family who thinks it's craziness the money we're (not) making - "You've gotta start somewhere." Writing for the Examiner might be worth pennies now, but I'm gaining invaluable experience, I'm getting my stuff out there, I'm building a portfolio, some people actually make money doing this (fairly certain this is not an urban legend)...The list goes on.

So, do me a favor, check out the Relay for Life article, let me know what you think - acceptable or not so much? If by chance you don't know me or my family, can you still relate to it? Did it make any impact? Below is a brief sneak peak at the article:

I was five-years-old when my father was diagnosed with cancer, nine when my grandfather died due to complications during a surgery for his cancer, twelve when my grandmother was diagnosed and told she had six-months to live, and was two days past my high school graduation when she succumbed to this vicious disease that gradually overtook her body. Save the specifics - my story is not unique. Cancer and the impact it has is far reaching and touches nearly every human being in one way or another...Read more