Tuesday, August 10, 2010

The curse of the flashing cursor

In the world of the writer or communicator, is there anything worse than that flashing cursor that seems to pulse, "Well? Spit it out!" like an incessant nag? As it is doing now. (Pulse. Pulse.) In my case, it's pulsing in two windows: the one here as I write my blog, and the one in Word where I am writing the cover letter to accompany my résumé as I put myself out there for a job.

The cover letter, of course, is the tougher one, the one in which the cursor has been flashing longest and most haranguingly. ("Haranguingly," by the way, is not an actual word, according to my spelling checker. But it should be. With all of my word-anointing powers, I hereby dub it a word. Bam!) I've been encouraged by the person who told me about the possible job (it isn't even an actual solicitation yet) to send my résumé and "probably a cover wouldn't hurt either, to show off your dazzling writing skills." So there's pressure. And it's not that I don't know how to start my letter - I do. In fact, I just have too many ways to start my letter. Well, okay, two ways, but neither is good.
I could start with a straightforward, "I am writing to you because I am
interested - very interested - in becoming part of the team...blah, blah, blah."

or
I could start by saying, quite honestly, "Let me begin by telling you that I am
a huge fan of [________] and that I truly would be honoured to work for
[organization]."

The former is, well, boring. Expected. The latter? A little over-the-top. Okay, a lot. They might think I'm a stalker. Certainly, they would doubt my credibility. Obviously, I need something more moderate, that conveys my enthusiasm without making me seem pathetic. Something that shows creativity and dazzling writing skills without being laughable. (Pulse. Pulse.)

I'm sure it'll come to me. You may return to your previous programming.

1 comment:

  1. That blinking cursor and I frequently have a stare-down. Lately, it's been winning. Good luck with your letter.

    ReplyDelete

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