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Authenticity And The Writer

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By Dawn Zamanis

Published: January 3, 2007

Brandon, FL - Brandon, FL - You may or may not have noticed that I did not have a column in The Brandon News last week.

As a writer submitting a piece for publication, it is the sole discretion of the editor whether to print any story, column, feature, what have you. Obviously the column I had prepared for my spot turned out to be a casualty of that decision, a decision I respect whatever the reason.

All writers are edited, some more than others, and many stories are "killed," (never run at all) for reasons such as lack of space to story content or for the mere fact that they are simply untimely.

I would hate to think that I had been "censored." Knowing my editors and the freedom we as writers are permitted, I am certain it was nothing of the sort.

It was Christmastime, and although I'm a traditionalist, I imagine it was expected that I would submit a more conventional column last week, and it was anything but.

I have never been one to go with the flow, act with political correctness or write what people expect to read, which may seem like a paradox of sorts, and to a great degree I guess it is. I may very well be known as the black sheep of The Brandon News family in that I sometimes push the proverbial envelope, make people uncomfortable, and have even been known to give readers and editors alike "Imodium moments," or at the very least severe indigestion. Come to think of it, I have that effect on many people, not just fellow scribes and readers of my work. (Anyone who knows me well enough will wholeheartedly agree.)

That said, I will continue to write what comes from within and take the chance that my editors will sometimes be forced to walk on eggshells as they sit behind closed doors trying to decipher my work, then ultimately decide if it is in the best interest of the paper to run my column. And that is their job.

Nevertheless, however controversial, intense or unsettling some of my columns may seem at times, they all carry a message, one of almost uncomfortable comfort. I hope that message reaches someone somewhere who may say, "Hey, I know just what she's talking about, and now I don't feel so lost anymore." At least that is my hope.

I expect that my columns will make you think, make you angry as hell, make you laugh out loud, make you shake your head in agreement or shake your head in dismay. If they provoke any feeling at all, then I have done my job.

Sure they'll be plenty of room for columns that vividly depict the hilarities of life that seem to follow me wherever I go, the ridiculously chaotic columns that summarize motherhood with five boys, two of whom are now passing the teen mark (I actually laugh and cry simultaneously while writing those.)

Let's face it: The world is far from perfect. Life is not a bowl full of cherries all the time or even half of the time. I've struggled with enormous personal difficulties during the past couple of years and I tend to think there are others out there who have suffered far greater pain and uncertainty than I. In fact, I know this to be true. So what then? Is it in me to sweep those thoughts and feelings under the nearest rug and write in a state of denial, describing only the funnier things in life, or the goodness in people?

No. You can certainly expect my future columns to be an assortment of embellished humor, sarcastic wit, serious storytelling and, at times, poignant and downright sad sagas. That's what life embodies after all, a range of emotions with which people can relate at various times in their lives.

Still, I refuse to type words which may seem artificial, contrived or false in any way. To do so would mean I would be writing to appease the select few, by sugarcoating my words, focusing more on political correctness rather than writing from my heart, which would be anything but authentic. And if there's one thing I am, it is authentic -- in print and in person.

Dawn Zamanis is a Valrico resident and the mother of five sons. She has been a freelance writer for national magazines and news publications and can be contacted through thebrandonnews@mediageneral.com.

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