An (Accidental) Northern Editor

Life seems wont to throw curve balls my way. The past five years have been an exercise in trying to hit one in a direction that will allow me to move forward toward a goal that I have been striving for for what feels like forever.

I am a firm believer that life does try to be gentle with us. We are given opportunities to fulfil our dreams and follow our bliss almost with abandon. Then we second-guess ourselves, fall prey to doubt and fear, and the next thing we know, we are on a path we don't want to be on. I cannot count the number of times I have chosen approval over being true to myself. On the few occasions I chose me, the results were phenomenal. But the curve balls kept coming, and in 2020 they came fast and furiously.

I will not recount the depressive events that occurred. I'm certain that 2020 was a difficult year for a lot of people and I am not seeking sympathy (or pity) for the plight I found myself in. Suffice it to say that, in spite of the trials and tribulations that particular year engulfed me in, I'm still standing. Bruised and battered though I may be!

Since childhood, I have dreamed of becoming a writer. To this end, I have spent untold hours composing prose, most of which has been lost in the ether over time. I have written three fantasy novels, though none of them are yet published. That is on my to-do list and I am hoping to see it all happen later this year.

Writing is a strong passion for me. Crafting, word by word, sentences and paragraphs to build a story is not merely a pastime; it's a need. I am driven to tap away at my keyboard on a daily basis, expressing myself creatively, transferring endless thoughts and notions from the fathomless depths of my mind through my finger tips to the screen of my laptop. It's magical! It's mystical! Creativity is the most spiritual practice I can imagine myself indulging in. And writing tops the list of ways to express myself creatively.

Over the years, my love of stories and writing has led me to helping other writers through the art and practice of editing. An accidental editor, so to speak, I didn't deliberately set out to make a living this way. People just seemed to find me and I discovered how deeply satisfying it is to help another writer realize their dream of being published. The success of others is success for all of us; editing is my way of contributing to the enrichment of people's lives--authors as well as readers.

Another one of those curve balls hit me this past January, and gave me the push I needed to finally put myself out there as a freelance editor. So, here I am, in northern Alberta, launching a new career at the tender age of 62!

I'm sure there are those among my friends and family who are saying, "There she goes again!" I freely admit that I have a propensity to dive into things with a heart full of hope and a head full of clouds. And I would like to say, "But this is different!"

Maybe it is.

Only time will tell.