All of a sudden, I was wondering how many words I’ve written over the past 47 years.
How many words, from the time I began stringing words together on office typewriters, early in my PR career, and then moving on to typing words on an office computer, and then, much later, after wrapping up my career, going on to write more words on my computer at home, for the fun of it.
God knows how many press releases, PR plans, briefing papers, speeches, and so forth, I’d written. Who kept track? Who knew metrics, back in those days?
But, at least, I could tally the words I’ve been writing, in the years following my career. The words in opinion pieces that were published in a financial industry newspaper, and articles in early editions of Business Insider, and articles in several newspapers. And then, later, the words in commentary I’d written about disruptive businesses, that ran in a Nevada business publication. And currently, the words in letters and columns I’ve been writing in the Daily Post.
Those words I’ve been able to tally, and the total, so far, comes to 81,427 words. That’s more than all the words in a 270-page novel. Maybe even a 300-page book. Most novels have 50,000 to 70,000 words.
With my 81,427 words, I’ve been trying to get readers to think through things involving business and politics, and goodness and evilness, and ethnic diversity, and shopping, and religion, and Old Saint Nick, and other things. PR spin, for example, and a talking goat, and wisdom and nonsense, Brussels sprouts and kale, redundant letters in words, the world’s next, best cuss word, Medusa, oldies but goodies, brain health and belly fat, and what’s patriotic and what’s fake, and the one tax former President Trump kept raising. And words about holiness at a moment in time, and the will of the people.
If you’ve missed reading my 81,427 words, I should be giving you links, or urls, you can click on to read them, like these, for example…
HMPRESENTLY: It’s Brussels, Not Brussel Sprouts?
HMPRESENTLY: My Plot to Fake Out My PC
But that would be blatant self-promotion. I’ve been away from PR too long to be doing that.
Harvey Radin is former senior vice president in charge of corporate communications and media relations, Bank of America Western Region. He makes his home in Redwood City, CA.