This site has been mentally incubating for quite some time now and I’m excited to have finally created it. I had a teacher, who later became my friend of over 15 years, named Mr. Martyr. He taught philosophy at my high school and opened my eyes to many things in this crazy world of ours.
I remember on one of my high school assignments, he had returned my paper with large red scrawl across the front page. It said:
“Choose. Journalist or novelist.”
I hadn’t even told him that I was thinking of going to college for journalism. I guess I didn’t have to. Long after school was finished, I was still his student and he, my teacher. Sometimes, after a deep discussion over the phone or through e-mail, he’d tell me to write.
He’d give me an assignment: topic, word-count, due date. Like a good student, I would always produce the material he asked for. He would edit, cut, paste and lecture. He helped me to hone my writing craft more than many teachers combined in college and university.
In journalism we were taught that unless you were writing an opinion piece or an editorial, a journalist writes the facts without opinion. Just research the 5 W’s, get to the point and submit the copy. In university I minored in creative writing and was taught to “show, don’t tell.” Describe, illustrate, demonstrate. Don’t just say the cat was black – show it. Learning to balance the two styles was difficult but Mr. Martyr was always there with his red pen, ready to slash at my work like a wizard with his wand.
In the last few months he was with us, he would often send me e-mails reminding me to write. He was happy for me that I was finally following my heart and returning to Korea. I would write just to say hello and give an update on life. He would reply saying, “that’s wonderful babe, but don’t forget to WRITE. Whatever it is. Just write.”
Thus came the birth of Karli in Korea.com.
The ideas in my mind have finally squeezed out of my thought canal and materialized into life in cyberspace. Even though Mr. Martyr is no longer in our plain of existence, I still want to say thanks Sir, for always pushing me to achieve. A thanks is also due to my amazing family and awesome friends who have always encouraged and supported my goals.
I hope you enjoy my ramblings and if nothing else, check in with this site to kill some time when you’re bored.
Much love!
