I remember standing in the garage with the newspaper in my hands. One of my parents had asked me to take the stack of newspapers to our recycling pile, but something caught my eye before I tossed the papers into the bin. I spread one section of the newspaper on top of our deep freezer and began reading.
An author’s column had captivated my attention. I can’t remember if it was one of those where they always answered a reader’s question or if it was a funny story or some opinion piece. The details are fuzzy because this was one moment of many similar scenes that played out again and again—whether I was holding a newspaper, a magazine, or a Reader’s Digest. The columnists always drew me in.
Being a columnist seemed like a dream job to me. A consistent little space where I didn’t have to have catchy, bold headlines or grab people’s attention with controversy? Yes please. In contrast to objective news stories, columns are characterized by voice, personality and opinions of the writer. People either like the columnist, or they don’t. They either flip straight to their favorite little column—or they skip right over that sliver of space and on to something they deem more interesting. Regardless, the writer is given creative leeway with their column to be exactly who they are.
I’ve yet to land a writing job as a columnist (note the optimism of ‘yet’), but maybe I’ve discovered a way to have a column on the World Wide Web. To be sure, there’s plenty of flashy, attention-grabbing, bold headline stuff out there to read. But I’ve found my little sliver of space where I can show up with my distinct voice and personality and share my experiences and stories.
I’m not for everyone, and that’s okay. But if you think this might be one of your favorite little columns to read, I’d be honored.
Why the name tl;dr?
Short for “too long; didn’t read,” this internet slang can be used to express that a text is too long, identify a short summary of a long text, or ask for a summary of a long text. It might seem like I’m shooting myself in the foot by calling my own publication “tl;dr”—but it’s my witty acknowledgment that a small chunk of text is easier to digest than a large wall of text.
For fun, I’ll begin each of my pieces with the “tl;dr” version. But fair warning, it will likely leave you with a piqued interest and a willingness to read a little bit more.
What can you expect from my writing? Here’s what others have said:
“Your writing style is so enjoyable to read, not to mention your content and how consistently refreshing it is. And how normal is always makes me feel.” —Rachel
“You make me LOL and think deeply, and that is exactly the content I have come to expect from you.” —Abbigail
“Thank you for your honesty and humor.” —Lesley
“You've done it again. I laughed out loud and felt so SEEN reading this. I've summarized this email in several conversations this week because the solidarity is so life-giving.” —Kara
A little bit more about me…
I’ve lived in Indonesia for the last decade with my husband and four children. I’m an enneagram nine with a side of dry humor. Jesus changed me for the better (but I still can’t make small talk to save my life).
I’ve always had an on-again-off-again relationship with a personal blog since 2007 (the relationship is currently off again). But my friend and I co-founded a blog for expats called Taking Route that has been around since 2014 and still going strong!
If you want to hear my actual voice when I tell stories, I co-host a podcast called It’s Tea Time Somewhere. Again, the primary target audience is women living outside of their passport country—but if you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to uproot yourself and move to another country, give it a listen!
I have a newsletter called First Things First and Long Story Short. You can find out more about that here.
And while I don’t know how much longer I can hang on the app anymore, you can still find me on Instagram: @aliciathewriter
Thanks again for being here and supporting me as a writer.
