My name is Janet … and I’m an eavesdropper.
The one question I get most is, “Janet, where do you get all the topics you write about?”
After 18 years and with only a few exceptions, 52 columns a year puts me at almost a thousand. Whew!
At 68, I have had quite a few experiences. I most definitely have opinions. I especially love to listen and sometimes eavesdrop.
This gig as a newspaper columnist has taken me on quite the magic carpet ride.
I will teach two workshops and a roundtable at the Taylor University Writer’s Conference this summer. (The cost is $139 for two days, including meals, and it is just a short trip to Upland, Ind.) Linda Chaffee Taylor brings in speakers and writers from all over the United States. It’s my favorite writer’s conference.
Back to the art of eavesdropping. Most writers would probably admit to doing so.
Combine my love of coffee and my love of listening, and voilà, I have a column! My downtown has the best places to drink coffee, ponder, and listen.
As I write this, I sit in one of my favorite cafes, sipping a latte and listening to a conversation at the nearby table. It’s fascinating. My concern is that they will carry the conversation with them when they leave, leaving me not knowing the rest of the story.
Speaking of the rest of the story, Paul Harvey was the ultimate storyteller. Many reading this are too young to know him and how he left you hanging for the rest of the story. YouTube!
I love stories. I love listening to them and telling them. A story, well told, engages the listener and the reader. When storytellers leave the audience wanting more, they have a gift. I can only hope to have that effect. I’ll keep trying.
My stories of traveling capture my readers’ attention so much that they never want to travel with me. I can’t say that I blame them. The time the pilot came over the intercom, telling of a problem with starting the second engine and thus the delay in taking off, seemed to seal the decision not to travel with me. I can’t blame anyone for not wanting to be my travel buddy. I do have a brave husband.
I have a T-shirt that says, Careful, or you’ll end up in my novel.
Facts are indeed stranger than fiction. A fiction book is possibly in my future. I might leave you thinking, “Could that be true?” No way … yes, WAY! But I’ll never tell you if a story in a fiction book is true. I need to leave you guessing.
Photo provided
This writing journey never ceases to amaze me. I love visiting book clubs, speaking at church events, speaking to retired teachers, and teaching workshops at writer conferences.
Even if you never plan to publish your writing, I suggest you write in a journal. It’s wonderful therapy. Writing your story can be the gift of a written legacy for your family.
Whether my writing has entertained you or given you something to ponder, I am humbled that you read my words. Even if you disagree with my opinions, it is okay. I only hope that my words matter for one reason or another.
I will continue to eavesdrop and write. I’ll never share your secrets, and you will not read about mine. You will read my thoughts, opinions, and adventures.
While I write about my faith, I will not write about religion. There is a difference. I will not write about politics. I will write about compromise and civility. I never want my opinions to harm anyone.
My knowledge is simply from life. At 68, I have been schooled well by both hard knocks and observations. I love to ask questions and ponder the answers.
I keep an open mind. I have seen the damage a closed mind can do.
Eavesdropping gives me ideas for topics. The conversations I hear are excellent catalysts for creating stories in my brain. The files are enormous, and the flipping tabs are loud … especially at 3:48 a.m.
Once upon a time, a little girl sat in a creative writing class, dreaming of someday becoming a writer, never knowing she was already a writer. And she lived reasonably happily ever after. She wrote to her community, which loved her well. And that, my friends, is the rest of this column.
Stay tuned – book No. 2 is a work in progress, as is that fiction book. Oh, the story Audrey Grace has to tell. Sunny Gap, Kentucky, holds a lot of secrets. Do I have you curious? I hope so.
Now, back to my coffee and the conversation I am eavesdropping on. My column might be called As the Coffee Shop Turns or The Bold and the Caffeinated. After all, we all live in a little bit of Peyton Place and 46060.
Janet Hart Leonard can be contacted at janethartleonard@gmail.com or followed on Facebook or Instagram (@janethartleonard). Visit janethartleonard.com.