The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2004

We have dedicat- ed our summer issue, as we do every year, to the work of the best fiction writ- ers among us. I am always amazed to see the variety of tal- ents among colleagues —music, paint- ing, poetry, and, as reflected in this magazine, a knack for creative writing. Where does all this wonderful talent come from? But while the Foreign Service Journal devotes its summer issue to fic- tion, it stays serious during other sea- sons, with articles about “prospects for development in Africa” or “what next for world oil prices.” But how about the rest of the year? Why should we restrict our fiction and fantasy to one season? In our Foreign Service work there are year-round opportunities for creativity and imagination. Consider the following: EERs . Was there ever a greater opportunity for letting the imagination wander through realms of unreality? An employee evaluation report is clear- ly not the place for understatement or even literal adherence to fact. The test for a rated officer is: if you recognize yourself in the report, then it probably needs work. Nor do you want to be the object of your supervisor’s unilateral, quixotic campaign to restore “balance” to the EER process — especially not when you are in competition with col- leagues who have, according to their EERs, unilaterally brought democracy to the previously oppressed inhabitants of some remote corner of Afghanistan reachable only by a six-day trip on muleback. MPPs . Years ago I was responsible for preparing a post’s Mission Program Plan. One category was, “Please list all required factual report- ing.” After listing human rights reports, real property reports, family member employment reports, free- dom of religion reports, trafficking in persons reports, etc., I could only add the comment: “As far as I know all of our reporting is factual, not science fictional.” In retrospect, however, I am not so sure. All too often, Foreign Service employees and their families live in a world reminiscent of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 , in which firemen were responsible for burning books. After all, in many places we serve, the electric company steals your power and sells it to your neigh- bor; the water company turns off your water; the garbage men deliver garbage; and the so-called forces of law and order are the greatest threat to public safety. General Reporting . Here the possibilities are endless. One can, for example, compose poetry — leaving the dull world of reality far behind — about the positive impact of this or that program or visitor. I once had to deliver the text of a 27-page speech about the Law of the Sea Treaty to a bored host-country official whose ignorance of the subject was only exceeded by his indifference. How could I describe his reaction in my reporting cable? The bald truth in this case would have been brutal and broken the hearts of many good friends. Or, with just a little poetic license, I could spread good will among those Washington colleagues who had worked so hard on the issue and had labored so many hours on the speech. The choice was easy. The above examples are just the most obvious ones. Judging by the quality and variety of Foreign Service fiction, there are few areas where our colleagues cannot apply their creativi- ty. So the next time you are preparing inspection reports, management con- trol compliance reports, differential reports, or other documents not known for exciting and vivid writing, be imaginative. Although the Foreign Service Journal publishes fiction only in the summer, there is no reason the rest of us must restrict fiction to one season of the year. We should mine those rich veins of fantasy just waiting to be tapped. P RESIDENT ’ S V IEWS Creative Writing: A Talent for All Seasons B Y J OHN L IMBERT J U LY- A U G U S T 2 0 0 4 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 5 John Limbert is the president of the American Foreign Service Association. In our Foreign Service work, there are year-round opportunities for creativity and imagination.