Anticipation...

? It was a day bathed in sunshine, spring, lakefront, downtown, history, good vibes ~ and newsprint! How so?

? Because I was bound for a certain iconic Toronto historical food-shopping site. And that building has a front-entrance newsstand that holds copies of that rare breed so dear to my heart ~ the print community newspaper! Namely, The Bridge News (thebridgenews.ca), published by ardent community advocate Andre Bermon .

Once a month ~ just after this downtown-east publication has rolled off the presses ~ a writer-colleague and I hike with anticipation to this landmark, scoop up some issues, have good coffee and low-sugar muffins, and read the paper (which we both write for) cover to cover.

We can do that online, too ~ but we pre-internet writers both have a legacy of 'newsprint fingers' ~ once known, forever cherished!

? As with every month in The Bridge, there's a great variety of news, community and arts-related stories. Relevant issues, inspiring pieces. There's even a crossword (last page), with the results promised on the newspaper website. That's almost as good as a UK mag I once wrote for, with always a long story, "continued next week..." (That mag has been going about 150 years!)

? A good aim, that ~ to always give people something to look for, anticipate, get the mag, paper or hyperlink for. I recall reading a novel in which one character said to another, "Life is not worth living unless you have something to look forward to."

With something like the community paper, that goes as much for the advertising aspect as for the editorial. The small-biz person who bought that carefully defined space to promote their goods/services hopes for good exposure and tangible results, i.e., payment/income.

? Overall, that newspaper is a good read reflecting local issues, a great place to advertise...and a delight to leaf through on a mild early-spring day!

~~~

? And with other forms of writing, the anticipation factor is vital. The writer decides and anticipates theme, message, ending, and the result of all this.

A reader expects the book they're about to read will grab them, move them, keep them glued. A strong piece of copywriting promises satisfaction, fulfillment, a problem solved. A LinkedIn post or article will, the writer hopes, get some likes, comments, feedback/praise.

Anticipation, expectation, hope. These are good things to keep in mind, potentially powerful aspects that ultimately can translate into profits ~ the reader's satisfaction, the purveyor's purse.

? And the 'power' of these aspects is not only mental and emotional. When you're pumped to go somewhere, see something, be validated or achieve something, the AEH (anticipation, expectation, hope) factor can get those endorphins and other feel-good chemicals going. I feel almost as though my formerly-tired legs have wings as I stride the miles to that downtown-east market newsstand.

Now, true, anticipation doesn't just happen. It should be validated. You must have done something, accomplished something, been involved in something, or want something, in some informed kind of way. Sure, some things ~ like spring ~ will happen anyway, and everyone can anticipate that.

But in the work world and communication world, there's usually a lot of worked-with words that go into creating a sense of satisfaction. And anticipation ~ that feel-good thing to bring to writing and reading, whether a newspaper article, a book, an ad or editorial!

And anticipation is great for getting us moving...as well as cherishing a new season.

~~~

? (BTW, I was so happy to be at St. Lawrence Market, I forgot to take a new pic of the building, so resurrected a 'winter' pic of it (see the decorative snowflakes?), and added some sunny warmth to it. Photo manipulation...a whole other article to anticipate!)

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