As a family law litigator who was terrified by the prospect of having to go to court, but who nevertheless did so for 40-plus years, I developed a game plan involving writing my arguments in detail prior to the court hearing or trial. I figured that if I could not put my client’s position on paper in a persuasive and cogent fashion, I would founder when I entered the courtroom. This was not, however, the beginning of my writing career.
During college I was an English major with a minor in Political Science. I spent four years reading and writing.
Law school also required a lot of writing, as did the bar exam. However, it was during my time as a volunteer in Palo Alto, that I began to hone my skills, appreciate the power of the written word, and enjoy the writing process.
Prior to moving to Los Gatos, I resided in Palo Alto, where the Palo Alto Weekly published about three dozen of my guest opinions.
My writing/publication career commenced when I joined the Palo Alto Human Relations Commission. My first submission, an article about how my father inspired me to be a volunteer, was probably one of my best articles, although Jay Thorwaldson, the Weekly editor, tore apart my first iterations of the article. By editing my submittals over a span of several years, he made me a much better writer, however.
Initially, I wrote to call attention to the work of the Human Relations Commission, which at the time, was a government appointed commission unknown to most Palo Altans. Eventually, I recognized that my columns were an effective tool for creating community cohesion and greater local awareness.
In most instances I wrote about local issues, such as police racial profiling, cameras on police cars, and whether the police should be allowed to use tasers.
My writing history also includes having numerous articles published in legal newspapers and magazines on mediation and family law-related issues.
After moving to Los Gatos, joining the Community Health and Senior Services Commission, joining Rotary, and becoming involved in other local volunteer endeavors, I looked to the Los Gatan, which has been kind enough to publish about a dozen of my articles.
This raises the question: Why do I devote so much time and effort to these unpaid writing endeavors?
My desire to write and publish extends beyond self-aggrandizement and wanting to put in writing my thoughts about some of the issues I am concerned about. I also write to inform the public and support local newspapers, many of which have disappeared during the past 15-20 years.
Local newspapers are at the forefront of exposing local corruption and maintaining a shared local identity. Local newspapers specifically focusing on local issues, rather than on national issues, are effective in curbing polarization. By concentrating on local news and local policy questions, our local newspapers educate our community, leading not only to more cohesiveness but also to a more efficient government. Local newspapers give a voice to residents, like me, by allowing us to write letters and columns on local issues that we view as important.
During the worst parts of the pandemic (here’s hoping we are in fact past the worst of it), with spare time on my hands, I wrote articles to prominent national magazines and newspapers. While I suspect that the contents of one of my articles was excerpted and expanded upon by someone else, I otherwise utterly failed at this endeavor. None of my submittals were accepted. This dismal record helped seal my determination that I am not equipped to write a book, which is something I contemplated doing many times over the years.
I appreciate the Los Gatan and other local newspapers for what they do for me in particular and for our community in general. My endorsement of the local press comes without any strings attached. I have not been paid to write this article, nor was I asked to write it. Consider it nothing more than a token of my appreciation for the efforts of the local media to help keep our community humming.
