My Other Freelance Writing Archives

Thursday, September 20, 2018

On Writing About My Disability

Whew!! I’ve been going full-speed ahead on the writing front these last couple weeks! I know, hello, it’s my career and I write every single day, but the pieces I’ve worked on lately have been some of the most personal I’ve ever written. It’s made me think about a lot of things, especially about why writing about my disability has meant so much to me over the years…

The year was 2007. The hot, sticky summer, to be exact. This was in the old days before my blog, which in itself feels like ancient history. I had an essay published in Redbook — like, the actual glossy, shiny print magazine. This was the first time I really remember writing about my disability. I had graduated college a couple years earlier and was getting into freelance writing. I was still learning about the writing business and it was so exciting to see my name in a national magazine! It was thrilling to go to the store and see something I wrote on the newsstands. I got good feedback on it, which is probably part of the reason why I kept going with writing. That feedback encouraged me to keep going.

I remember being unafraid to share my story — something I had always been a bit self-conscious about doing up until that point. Looking back, maybe I did it because, although I loved reading magazines, I never really saw anyone like me in the pages. Sadly, there aren’t many publications focused solely on disabilities — maybe I’ll create one someday?? Something I’d really like to see is people with disabilities being featured more in mainstream publications. Of course it’s amazing that there are publications geared toward the disability community, but it’s time publications were more inclusive.

I’ve heard from other people with Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome because of my blog. I’ve gotten emails from people who said they Googled FSS and found my blog, so that’s always a humbling experience. I often wish the internet had been around when I was growing up because it would have been such a comfort to be able to connect with others who also have FSS!

And, honestly, that’s been my #1 goal with every piece I’ve written since: To try and make the world a more inclusive place for people with disabilities. In writing about my disability, I want to shout to the world that we’re people who live full and fulfilling lives. I hope my writings have shown that people with disabilities have a voice and we’re not afraid to use our voice to speak up and be heard! xoxo

Monday, August 13, 2018

My Essay on CNN Opinion: “What I Learned From Student Journalism Changed Everything”

In case I haven’t mentioned it lately, writing and journalism is my passion. It’s what I fell in love with in high school. It’s what I studied in college and got my degree in. And it’s what I taught to student journalists for nearly five years as a student newspaper adviser.

In my latest for CNN Opinion, I reflect on my time as editor of my college newspaper and then returning to that same paper years later as the adviser. Both experiences taught me the importance of journalism and press freedom, but it was my time as an adviser that showed me the value of training the next generation of journalists!! I’ve been wanting to write this one for quite awhile and, well, the current administration just kept making the topic relevant for me.

As I was writing, I just kept thinking of how important things like the First Amendment and the free press are. They play such a vital role in our democracy and I’m incredibly scared of a world without them. The hard-working journalists out on the front lines are certainly my heroes. Each and every day.

Here’s an excerpt of the piece, which I sort of wrote as a letter of advice to all the young Woodwards and Bernsteins out there…

I can’t help but think of those student journalists when I see work by the thousands of journalists on the front lines today, many of them young. I want to say to them: Those whose voices are talking the loudest and deriding journalism don’t reflect the views of the majority of Americans. Your work is not going unnoticed by people who care.
If my experience walking in both sets of “shoes” — as a reporter and then as an adviser — has taught me anything, it’s how important it is to continue the journalism tradition for the next generation. I had amazing mentors and maybe someday, my former students will be a mentor for someone in return.
Indeed, there is a whole world of stories out there waiting to be told. Journalism makes a difference. Journalism matters. In fact, it might be just the thing that saves us all.

And, how cool is that illustration that went with my piece?? I think it perfectly captures what the press and journalism is all about, but also, the awesome responsibility the journalists of today have to teach the journalists of tomorrow. That’s something I never took lightly and it ended up being one of my proudest career moments.

You can read the full piece here and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to email me anytime at mellow1422@aol.com and let’s chat! And of course, feel free to share my essay on Facebook, Twitter or even your local refrigerator. If you share on Twitter, be sure to tag me @melissablake so we can connect! I can’t wait to hear from you! Love you all… xoxo

Monday, July 9, 2018

My Essay on CNN Opinion: “This July 4th, I Look At the Flag and See Hope”

Proof that my creative mind WON’T TURN OFF: I decided that I was going to take off last week since I usually do that every summer around this time. I was all set to “power down” last Friday when I got it in my head that I *needed* to write a timely op-ed about July 4th. I spent last Saturday, day one of my vacation, writing that op-ed.

I’m so glad it found a home on CNN Opinion! This marks my ninth op-ed with them…can you believe it?!?!? With everything going on in the world, I found myself extremely conflicted about “celebrating” this year, so I wrote about trying to find hope despite all of that. How do we find those moments of joy and hope at a time when we also feel so sad and hopeless?

Here’s an excerpt of the piece, in which I also waxed nostalgic about the flag and my childhood…

“Back then [when I was a child], that feeling of pride in our country came so easily. I felt like I belonged in the beautiful melting pot that was America, where people — regardless of race, gender, creed or ethnicity — could come together and support one another. Today, I’m not so sure — not just about pride, but about so many of the core values that I believe once defined America.
As we gather to celebrate the United States’ birthday, it’s hard to ignore that the ideals of the flag haven’t held up for everyone. [Today] We’re not celebrating separating families at the border. We’re not celebrating taking away people’s health insurance. And we’re most certainly not celebrating the rollback of women’s reproductive rights.”

[Photos via We Heart It]

Monday, June 18, 2018

My Essay on CNN Opinion: “When Father’s Day Is Both Bitter and Sweet”

Just in time for Father’s Day yesterday, I wrote about the bittersweet nature of holidays after the death of a parent and the 15th anniversary of my father’s suicide for CNN Opinion. I weaved in quite a bit into this one essay, like how we keep our loved ones with us, and hope I did the topic justice.

I’d been thinking about how hard holidays like Father’s Day can be, especially when they fall during milestone anniversary years like this year’s 15th anniversary for me. The days are both happy and sad, and maybe those two emotions can exist harmoniously. For so long, I thought I could only feel one or the other, and it’s been liberating to realize that I don’t have to “choose.”

Here’s an excerpt of the piece, in which I also looked at all the ways we incorporate loved ones we’ve lost into the big and small milestones of life (including a reference to the Royal Wedding last month!)…

Every year, I see Father’s Day cards in the store or see young kids holding their father’s hand and it hits me: My father is missing.
For years, I worried that I’d forget my father. After all, the gap between the years he was alive and the years he’s been dead was widening every day. I desperately wanted to feel like a part of him was still here, that he didn’t just vanish into the ether. As the weeks turned into months and the months turned into years, I noticed an interesting dichotomy: I was holding on to the past tighter while the memory of him seemed to be drifting further away. I’d reach for him, but he was always just out of my grasp. I was so afraid that he would simply be forgotten as time went on and our lives began to fill up with things other than grief.

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

My Essay on CNN Opinion: “On Disability, Twitter Is Better Late Than Never”

Yes, I know, it’s another timely essay from me!! But when there’s a win for the disability community, of course I’m going to write about it! Twitter finally updated its reporting form to include hate directed at people with disabilities. I wrote about this long-overdue milestone and the importance of including disability in conversations about hate speech. So excited to see it published on CNN, which is quickly becoming my favorite site to write for!

You’ve all seen me lamenting about Twitter trolls, which seem to be on the rise more and more every day. It’s sad, really, and it can feel like the vicious vitriol knows no bounds. That’s why I’ll be forever grateful to the work and perseverance of Natalie Weaver, the amazing woman who called on Twitter to revise its reporting form after her daughter’s photo was used in an offensive tweet promoting eugenics.

Here’s an excerpt of the piece, which made me realize how revolutionary and groundbreaking to be able to say, “YES, ableism is a form of hate speech!“…

When we think of hate speech and what sorts of things constitute hate speech, we automatically think of racism and LGBTQ issues. What we don’t automatically think of are things like ableism and discrimination against people with disabilities, which are rampant in society, to be sure, but sometimes get overlooked. Consider the flippant use of the “R” word — and even a seemingly less offensive word like “cripple.” Even Disney villains usually have some sort of facial deformity, which sends the message to children from a young age that disabilities are bad and that people with disabilities are evil or monstrous.
Disabilities may make people uncomfortable. I’m sure my disability and my wheelchair has made people uncomfortable in the past. But that doesn’t give people the right to use it against me and vilify me for it. Twitter’s change in policy gives me hope. Hope that perhaps, finally, we’ve moved the needle of dismantling centuries of negative misconceptions surrounding people with disabilities. We’re not monsters. We’re people. And we’re not going anywhere — on Twitter and in real life.