by Keri Rozansky | Jun 11, 2025 | Blog
Last month, my son graduated high school, this month, my nephew did. The ceremony was last Friday, and it was a good one. It took place at the same venue where my high school graduation was held 26 years ago! That doesn’t particularly matter I don’t think, but it is nice to know the facility is still being used for that by the area school districts.
There were several differences between my son’s graduation and my nephew’s. First, there was a difference of about 286 kids graduating. My son’s small Catholic high school had a graduating class of about 125, and my nephew’s public school graduated over 400 students!
It was a nice, but long ceremony. It ran nearly 30 minutes over its scheduled time, and we were all exhausted and ready to go home. But first – ice cream! We stopped in at a local DQ and between sitting and eating and standing outside to talk after the store closed and kicked us out, we didn’t make our way back home until nearly midnight, and didn’t arrive home until shortly before 1:30 a.m. Although the graduation should have been the highlight of the night, it was agreed by all that ice cream was the actual highlight.
Do you remember graduation? Was the highlight of the day or night the ceremony or the celebration afterward? Let’s talk on Facebook!
by Keri Rozansky | Jun 4, 2025 | Blog
Based on a true story. There are dozens if not hundreds of movies made that have been based on a true story. But what does that mean? “Based” means the creators used some or all of the source material to create and present their story. Sadly, sometimes it means they bought the rights to the source material’s name and characters, then do whatever they want, often leaving audiences who loved the source material angry and upset.
But what about basing your characters on real people? If they’re celebrities or other well-know people, you’ll want to make sure you’re not disparaging them – that’s a lawsuit waiting to happen! But you can often get away with basing something on friends, family, or acquaintances a little easier. Me personally, I try to talk to those people to get their okay, but sometimes I just have to roll with it and let them know later. Of course, I let them read their character profile and some sections of the story to get their approval, especially when I’m turning them into something they’re not, like a lawyer I based off of a friend who has never been near a courtroom, or an honest-to-the-bone family member into a blackmailing snitch constantly trying to leverage their information to get what they want.
Sometimes, I even write stories about people specifically for them, for their entertainment. Currently, a short story I’m working on about a friend is turning into something longer. Depending on how long it gets, I’ll have to ask their permission to publish it as a novella or novel. Currently, my information is based on some discussions we’ve had and a basic physical description of him and elements of his personality. My imagination has taken it from there. I’ve been keeping him informed of the progress and some major plot points, and he’s loving it so far.
But keep in mind that if you want to write this way yourself, you should get the permission beforehand. Even if the saying is it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, once something is in print, there’s no going back. Even if it’s available for only a short time, or in a single medium, there’s still enough opportunity for someone to find it and save it.
What is your experience with creating stories and characters? Have you purposefully or accidentally based it on something you know (“write what you know!” after all) that others may not wish to have shared publicly? How did you fix it?
Let’s talk on Facebook!
by Keri Rozansky | May 28, 2025 | Blog
This year was a year of “lasts.” Last first day of school, last school-wide Mass, last last day of school, and, though I didn’t want to think about it until it happened, my last Parent Ambassadors event. I’ve made friends with these people, and I’ll likely not see them much, if at all, ever again. My son has graduated, and we don’t have anymore kids, let alone boys, to take his place at his school. That means I’ll forever be an Alumni Mom, and not likely ever a Current Student Mom. Of course, things could change. But for now, it’s a last.
There’s always an end-of-the-year wrap up gathering at a local restaurant. It’s casual – you can come in jeans and a t-shirt if you like, but the time is shortly after typical work hours end, and some come in business casual. It’s a time for us to connect as parents and friends, without the formality of being “on” to welcome new parents and students into the fold that is the top Catholic high school in our state.
It was a great time. Food, drinks, and just talking with each other. Another mom there also had a senior who graduated this year, and she said to pass along her congratulations for the honor medal my son won for journalism.
As any good gathering does, it lasted well past its “end time” – 2 hours is never enough when hanging out with this crew. The surprise of the night came at the end, however, when the admissions director presented each of us with a gift for our work this year. I opened it when I got home to find four glass pilsners with the school logo beautifully etched on each.
There are other things in life we don’t necessarily recognize as a last. Several of these “lasts” with my son’s school mean lifelong memories that will mean they are never truly last. What was the end of your schooling or another anticipated end? How did you feel? Was it truly an “end” or have you kept those connections through the years? Let’s talk on Facebook!
by Keri Rozansky | May 21, 2025 | Blog
He did it! My son graduated high school last night! After years of hard work, then months of anticipatory events like the Senior-Alumni lunch to Baccalaureate Mass and finally graduation! The ceremony was meant to take place at the school football field, but the cold and rain moved it indoors to a nearby church. Nothing else changed, it started at the same time and arrival times were the same, but it was much more comfortable inside the church than it ever would have been if the outdoor ceremony went as planned.
My parents and my sister-in-law and nephew also attended, too, so he had plenty of family support than he did when we lived in Arizona, away from most of our family. It was a normal ceremony – speeches by the valedictorians and salutatorian, some programming by the faculty and staff, the calling of names and receiving of diploma covers. After that, there was a presentation of academic medals – and he earned one for his work in the broadcast journalism class he’s taken the last three years. It was a nice surprise and a great feeling for him (and for us) that he was specially awarded for such hard work.
After the ceremony, we met for pictures and for him to talk to the family that came and take pictures. Between all the cameras we probably have hundreds of pictures. When family left, we went home, changed, and went out for a celebratory dinner at one of his favorite restaurants.
I could go on and on talking about every single moment of the evening, but I won’t. If you’ve been following my blog at all this school year, you know this is the ultimate event.
Do you remember your high school or college graduation? What’s your fondest memory of your time in school? Let’s talk on Facebook!
by Keri Rozansky | May 14, 2025 | Blog
I guess it’s my turn at this blog thing. I really should have one for my law firm, but no business really needs an online presence in a town like Glass. Everyone knows everyone, and the town news website makes sure everyone has the news on the latest events and goings on. Even when it comes to The Glass Creek Murders.
They’re the first major crime this town has seen in over 20 years. It seems every lawyer in a ten-mile radius is involved. Seems strange for such a small town incident. It must be bigger than that. Either way, I know Ell is on it, so everything will turn out for the best.
What I’m concerned about in the case is my client. They are a minor, and one of the only potential witnesses to the crime. This person is really between a rock and a hard place, and the case has spoiled what should be a memorable time in life. I hate that their memories will be sullied by this.
So, I suppose you want to know more about me, right? I could give you the bio that I provide for business dealings, and what would probably go up on a website if I had one. My name is Jefferson Concord, but people call me Jeff. My parents told me it’s a mix of the name of the street they grew up on and the name of the street we were living on when I was born. Personally, I think it sounds like a stuffy upper-class name like some of the other lawyers in town. (Don’t tell any of them I said that). I do wonder if it’s part of the reason some of them became lawyers. I know it’s not, but could you imagine a guy named Jefferson Concord being a high school math teacher? Or someone who drives a trash truck, or some other badly perceived job because it doesn’t require an advanced degree? I guess we land where we land though, right?
I love the law, and not just because of my name or my social status. It’s always been interesting and a passion of mine. I knew in high school after my government class junior year that I wanted to influence the law somehow. Whether it was judge, lawyer, or legislator, I’ve always wanted to make a difference. Sure, you can say anyone can make a difference in any job or career, but these careers have a direct impact on how society is run.
You probably think a lawyer doesn’t have much fun, but you’d be wrong. I have hobbies, albeit somewhat boring ones. But they keep my mind engaged while not necessarily working. I love to read, play tennis and golf, kayak and boat, or go hiking and camping. I haven’t had much time for those since this case began, but I’ll get back to it.
What else would you want to know? I’m so wrapped up in this case right now I can’t really think about anything else, not even myself. Just work, and my young client. If you do have any legal needs and are in the area, my door is always open and I’m always taking on new clients. Wait, I don’t want my last words to be an advertisement.
A lot of lawyers are so wrapped up in their work they forget to come up for air. I try. I really do. I aspire to a family life one day, I just need to find the right person – who’s not a lawyer or other busy professional.
I won’t go into my childhood or anything, but like most other people who live or work here, I grew up here. If you do escape to go to college or a job for a while, somehow we all end up back here. It must be a magnetic force that pulls us all back. I don’t mind. I love it here and wouldn’t have it any other way.
So, I guess that’s me. Thanks for listening.
by Keri Rozansky | May 7, 2025 | Blog
AI. Artificial Intelligence. It’s taking over much of the creative processes in our world, and writing is no exception. I substitute teach at my son’s high school, and students are talking about writing essays during class periods so teachers can be sure no one is using AI. My son himself was accused of using some sort of AI for an English paper, only because his research and outlining methods were scattered. He was writing notes and portions of his paper in various places whenever he was working on it. He had bits in Google Docs on his iPad, he had another part in an app on his desktop at home, and yet another location he’d written in. Rather than re-writing it all in a single spot, he copied and pasted each section into the main document. RED FLAG!
Sadly, rather than speaking to him first to get his side, the overuse of AI had the teacher automatically assuming he used AI and was ready to mark him down without even receiving an explanation or proof. Thankfully, he was able to retrace his steps and show his thought and work process and the teacher accepted it, albeit still questioningly.
So, Am I AI? The short answer is no. I have a writing business where I write website and blog content for businesses. My name is not typically on the work since I’m ghost writing for these companies. However, with my 30 years of writing experience and 2 years of professional writing experience, my work takes on the perfectionism achieved by AI. I’ve never been accused by a client of using AI, and while I may need to research their industry to write with authority, I’ve never used AI.
This story comes from a client where one partner solicited a website build without consulting the other. The other partner had intended on building the site himself, and employing me to do the content writing. I hated missing out, but I understood. However, the partner who solicited the website neglected to have the website building company separate the two websites the company needed as their two businesses are unique enough from one another that each deserves its own site. I was once again commissioned to do the writing.
This previous website design company apparently had some sort of deal to use the client’s website as part of their portfolio for future clients to check out. An employee of that company logged on to find that the site had been changed, by the clients as well as myself posting blogs. They assumed the site had been hacked and their work had been replaced with a bunch of AI articles! I have a feeling they didn’t read these articles, as they all apply directly to the businesses and industry and aren’t “sample” or “placeholder” articles they had left.
I wanted to laugh, but also couldn’t help but be offended, too. It’s nice to know my work is perceived as so well-done it seems to be AI, but at the same time it’s insulting to both me and the client to assume the unique work on the website is AI because it wasn’t done by them.
To be clear, I’ve never used AI writing tools. Everything is mine, and if it’s not, I will site my sources. Have you had any incidents with AI accusations with your unique work? How did you handle it? Let’s talk on Facebook!
