I Don’t Have Proper Email Etiquette?

First of all, etiquette is a word I always struggle to spell.

Now that that’s out of the way, I can finally get a few things off my chest.

I’ve sent my fair share of emails in the nineteen years I’ve been alive. And no one has ever complained about my email etiquette. Until today.

If you know nothing else about me, know this: I dislike wasting my own time, and I dislike wasting other people’s time even more. OK, that’s not entirely true. You get what I mean though. I hate wasting time. I’m busy. You’re busy. We’re all busy.

Since I’m a writer and blogger, I like to think I’m concise. At least I try to be as much as possible. But I guess I also run the risk of seeming rude.

I finally crossed the line into terse territory by sending an email to my TA without enough “description” to his liking. So he proceeded to tell me what isn’t “a proper etiquette” and what is. His words, not mine.

Maybe I should teach him a thing or two about you know what.

Writing Advice For Follow Up Emails

What happens after an interview and a session with my trusty thesaurus.

• Keep it short. 
• Keep it simple. 
• Keep it smart. 
• Keep it selfless. 
• Keep it sharp. 
• Keep it sensible. 
• Keep it sincere.  
• Keep it specific. 

Emails, Essays, Exams

Sometimes I wonder why I struggle more to write an email than I do an essay. 

My main issue is I want to acknowledge that I received the message and thank the sender, but I don’t want to bombard someone with another email, especially if it isn’t important or useful. 

Regardless I quite enjoy writing emails. It’s not nearly as stressful as writing an essay. Or an exam. I won’t have to deal with the latter for several more months. 

In high school I didn’t quite understand why university students got four months of summer. Now I do. 

What Happens Before A Post Is Written

Here’s a list of things that happen before I write a blog post.

• Think about blogging.
• Decide to write a new post.
• Stare at blank page.
• Open three new tabs.
• Check email.
• Check Facebook.
• Check Twitter.
• Thinks about blogging again.
• Decide to write a new post again.
• Check email again.
• Check Facebook again.
• Check Twitter again.
• Close those three tabs.
• Stare at blank page again.

Pre-writing Ritual

What I anticipate will happen:

Sit down.

Start writing.

What actually happens:

Check email.

Check other email.

Check WordPress.

Check Facebook.

Check Twitter.

Check Tumblr.

Check time.

Freak out.

Open a Word document.

Struggle.

Blogging 201: Make Your Blog A Hub

Today’s assignment:

Create a page or section on your blog to display links to your online presence elsewhere, and make sure your other presences reflect the brand you’re developing on your blog.

I have a Contact Me page in the menu above and links to my other accounts on the right.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I don’t bite. Not anymore at least.

This is going to seem like a lot, but I’m far from being a social media guru.

Go ahead and:

• Email me at aspiringwriter22@gmail.com,
• Browse through my tweets over on Twitter,
• Scroll through writing tips (and prompts, coming soon) on Facebook,
• Discover the books I’m reading on Goodreads,
• Add me to your circle on Google Plus,
• Connect with me on LinkedIn,
• Read my articles on all things school at Student Life Network (SLN),
• View another of my infamous selfies on my About Me,
• Enjoy a ton of writer/reader problems on my Tumblr blogs at aspiringwriter22
  and aspiringreader22.

I promise I’ll never have 12 links in a single post ever again.

I Worry And Worry And Worry

I worry about everything.

Even though I know I worry too much, I can’t help it. I am a worrier. Always have been, always will be.

I worry and worry and worry. Sometimes to the point where it’s unhealthy.

Let me throw out a random, somewhat trivial example. Every time I send an email and don’t get a response, I worry that the receiver hasn’t gotten my email. Unfortunately, people tend to read my emails but for some reason, choose not to reply to them. (Thanks a lot. I wish you knew how stressed out this makes me feel.) I worry until I can somehow confirm they have indeed received my message.

It seems like all I ever do is worry.

Types Of Writing I Struggle With

I absolutely suck at writing proposals. About nine months ago I wrote one, and I haven’t written a single one since.

I take forever to compose one email. Now imagine writing multiple emails a day. Today I started typing a draft on my phone, but I accidentally hit send half-way in. So I had to write another email telling the receiver to disregard my first email.

I used to despise lab reports. There’s a reason I stopped taking science courses after grade ten.

I would go on. Too bad I’d take an entire day listing as well as explaining why I struggle with all forms of writing.