I can still remember the day I was in class and my English teacher said “you can’t write like that…it’s plagiarizing.” My fledgling writing spirit was crushed. I’d spent a lot of hard work to get my paper this far. I argued with the teacher, got a detention, then a failed assignment.

Mind you, these were the days before the internet. When research was done from the school’s encyclopedias, books, and the actual library. Sometimes it’d take weeks to do research. You’d have to go to the library, find books, check out said books, read them, take notes by hand, then summarize your findings in your own words for it to count.

What I didn’t know then, was that I had a secret skill no one else did… it’s called distilling or synthesizing. When you take complicated language, or large amounts of text, and translate it into plain language that’s simple and easy to understand.

For example this confusing paragraph –

“For many women, a one-day test is enough to get a picture of their hormones. However, sometimes a complete map of your cycle is needed to identify how hormones fluctuate. Determining how your hormone fluctuations compare to this optimal pattern can shed light on cycle-related health concerns.”

Now becomes:
“Why cycle mapping? Because a single day of your period can’t help your provider see the whole picture. For most women, a one-day test is enough to get a complete picture. For others, a complete 25-day map of your cycle helps discover when your hormones fluctuate.”

Or this phrase:
“Elevations that require an architect,” becomes “blueprints for your contractor to build your house from.”

Long story short, my English teacher was wrong.

Writing is my superpower.

To this day, my favorite punctuation mark is still the ellipsis. (There’s something wonderful and mysterious about it.) Just because it leaves you hanging…