#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.04.12 —How does being a writer influence your life outside of the work?

For most people, it is irrelevant what they do for work, but I'm an author. Word choice matters. How to communicate through words, meaning, and symbology is the core of my profession.

How does being an author influence the rest of my life? I am profoundly aware of all the meanings of words (the meanings I've learned, anyway), and when I learn a new one I almost want to dance—which means the imprecise use of language always draws my attention. It likely doesn't help that I'm #actuallyAutistic1. When I don't understand, my first inclination is to see meaning where there isn't any (or fixate on a more archaic meaning), and the second is to see people's attempts to spin, obfuscate, equivocate, or prevaricate. Political news makes me wonder if there is an epidemic of stupidity, or whether people simply pick and choose words and meanings that best suit their beliefs or the agenda they are pushing, and are willing to lie to do so. (Okay, not wondering, really.) On good days, I can figure out what people are saying to the point that I seem fluent and neurotypical. I can even participate in wordplay to work the meanings they've given me. On a bad day, I fixate on the wrong meaning and suffer misunderstandings. Still, words bring me joy. I love to listen to a great conversation, or watch a great screenplay.

1 No worries. I know it is a superpower.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

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