Quam Editorial Article: Mine for a Gem of a Bio Part 2

Mine for a Gem of a Bio: Part Two

To rattle your brain, I suggest digging deeper and mining words from people who you imagine know you. They could be celebrities or even unknown people from a crazy spectrum of professions.

I asked six unknown people to blurt out the first word or phrase that came to mind when thinking of me and my poetry. Here’s what I imagined their responses would be:

A jazz drummer said “syncopation”
A personal shopper said “pink Converse All Stars”
An outhouse designer said “a hazmat suit”
A frog breeder said “as vibrant as a poison dart frog”
A tennis player said “an unstoppable backhand”
A wrestler said “not your typical Midwestern housewife.”

For the fun of it, I strung together their words to form this outrageous bio:

Although raised in Wisconsin, this poet is not your typical Midwestern housewife. Her verse is as vibrant as a poison dart frog, as deadly as Agassi's unstoppable backhand, and as playful as pink Converse All Stars. Her rhythms define "syncopation" while her images force readers to don a hazmat suit.

Okay, you might not want to be that far out, but I challenge you to undercover extreme words that are buried in your imagination.

As a start, mine from imaginary people in these professions: air traffic controller, antiques dealer, bookstore owner, bullfighter, circus clown, court jester, crossing guard, felon, gardener, hair stylist, horse-wrangler, junk dealer, letter carrier, lunch lady, maitre d’, museum curator, ordnance worker, octopus trainer, pastry chef, priest, prostitute, math teacher, or spelling bee champion.

Go wild with this. You won’t use everything, I know, but you’re bound to come up with one or two spectacular gems that set you apart.

You’ll find it’s great creative fun to go word mining; it’s even more fun when others describe your work as wonderful -- even if you won’t say so yourself.

Faye Quam Heimerl of Quam Editorial will customize bio questions guaranteed help you mine the jewels of who you are to create a sparkling bio. Contact Faye at Faye@QuamEditorial.com or call 303.505.3530.