Writing

The Reporter’s Re-entry: Reclaiming the ‘I’ in a World of Third-Person Narratives

Editor’s Note: See Jane Write publishes guest articles by writers who identify as women, non-binary folks, and our allies. Learn more here.

By Mary Chiney

The first thing they teach you in a newsroom is how to disappear.

As a journalist, your training is a masterclass in the art of the invisible. You are taught to stand in the back of the room, notebook pressed against a damp palm, recording the vibrations of someone else’s brilliance while your own voice stays tucked safely behind a press pass. For years, I have made a living in the third person. I have dissected the discographies of global icons for The Quietus, mapped the rising trajectories of African trailblazers for The Recording Academy (Grammy.com) and Afrocritik, and translated the raw, sonic vulnerability of artists like Kid Cudi and Amaarae into the polished, intellectual prose required by “reputable publications.”

In the high-stakes world of culture journalism, the “I” is a liability. To say “I felt” is to invite the ghost of “unprofessionalism” into the room. We are taught that the story is the subject, and we are merely the lens, transparent, unbiased, and essentially, silent.

But lately, I’ve been thinking about the cost of that transparency. When you spend all your time building legacies for others, what happens to the architecture of your own soul? I saw the call for submissions for See Jane Write, and it felt like a mirror being held up to a face I hadn’t looked at in years. It asked a question that journalists rarely ask themselves: Are you the author of your own life, or are you just the biographer of everyone else’s?

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28 Days of Self-Love Journal Prompts for February

February is the perfect month to write your way through 28 days of self-love journaling prompts. With Valentine’s Day and Galentine’s Day on the horizon, February is a month that’s all about love. And it’s my favorite month because it’s also my birthday month and Black History Month.

While we spend much of February focusing on our love for others – from best friends to romantic partners – we must be careful not to neglect self-love along the way.

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How Do You Write When the World Is on Fire?

How do we keep writing in hard times?

I was planning to host a self-love journaling challenge in February. But when I sat down to brainstorm prompts, I thought to myself – who’s going to feel like writing when the world is on fire?

Each day, we seem to face another horrific headline about another life taken or terrorized.

It leaves us feeling hopeless and helpless and staring at a blank page, wondering, “What’s the point?”

But silence is NOT the answer.

Your writing does matter.

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Why You Should Write Your Story — and How to Get Started

You have a story worth telling.

Not because you’re famous.
Not because your life has been perfect or overly dramatic.
But because you’ve lived, learned, changed, and survived. And there is power in that.

Writing your story isn’t just about publishing or performing your work (although I obviously want to see you do both). It’s about the clarity, confidence, connection, and impact that can come from putting your experiences into words and sharing those words with someone else.

The act of writing your story can transform the way you see yourself and the world around you – even if you keep your work tucked inside your journal. But I hope you’ll consider turning those private reflections into published pieces!

Let’s talk about why writing your story matters and how you can start today using the journal you may already have.

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My 2026 Journal Ecosystem

Journal ecosystem – the internet has given a name for something I’ve been creating since I was a pre-teen, and I’m here for it!

Thanks to this fancy title, I no longer feel the need to justify all the notebooks on my desk, on my nightstand, and in my handbags. And when someone asks, “You’re buying another journal?” — I can confidently say, “Yes! Yes, I am. It’s part of my journal ecosystem.”

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