Making the Most of 25 Words

Last week, I had to turn in a 25-word bio for a conference I was attending, so I sent my standard, no-frills bio. It was a little...

Okay, it was a lot boring. The volunteer organizing the insert for the program took me to task.

“Cathy,” she said. “This is the same bio you sent last year. You’re one of the funniest people I know. Don’t you want to do something different? Something humorous?”

Um…well. I did after that comment!

She knew I would rewrite it. And she was right to set me straight. There I was, sitting on a golden opportunity to get my name and brand out there among conference attendees, agents, editors, and publishers, and I was settling for blah.

And I began to ponder as I started to revise my words. How often have I squandered golden opportunities like a 25-word bio? How many times have I dropped the promotional ball, so to speak, and wasted a chance to put a little personality out there?

Know what I realized? Those opportunities come along pretty much every day. Sometimes, every hour. Because whenever I write anything—ANYTHING—I’m putting Cathy C. Hall out there.

It doesn’t have to be an essay I’ve spent hours refining. I’m making an impression even if I’m just leaving a comment on a blog. And with the internet, my words have global reach! I never know who might read my words or where they might lead.

It was a sobering thought, let me tell you. I mean, it was darn near a miracle that I managed to write my bio. (Have you ever tried to be funny in 25 words or less? It is NOT easy. And after thirty minutes—yes, thirty minutes—I knew why I’d sent that standard bio.) But eventually, I managed to come up with something...

I'm not going to lie. It’s a challenge to make every word count, even or maybe especially, if there are so few words available. But I—and you, too—are worth the effort. So mind those words—and take advantage of any opportunity to let the world know who you really are!

~Cathy C. Hall