When I was a little girl, I was a tiny thing with dirty-blonde pigtails and big green eyes. I would sit with a book nearly as large as I was, nestled in a huge bean bag chair in the children's section of the public library. I still have books from when I was no more than six with all the nouns circled in purple crayon, the verbs underlined in green. My favorite game was playing school; "English class," to be precise. Guess who played teacher.

 

In high school I learned I could make money from my words. I charged $5 per page to proofread and type essays and term papers. I was sixteen when I earned my first 'A' on a university level paper. It was a deconstruction of the 15^th century morality play, Everyman, that I wrote it for my brother's college English class. (Before you say anything, I only did so because my mother asked me too. And no, I will not write your term paper for you.) I read everything I could get my hands on, from Plutarch to Anne Rice. I also wrote sappy poetry on an epic scale.

 

I entered college expecting to study foreign languages. I had romantic dreams of becoming a U.N. interpreter, living a jet-set lifestyle visiting exotic places the globe over. During the very first week of classes, I fell in love with anthropology (read about my love affair with archaeology here). My university education taught me to edit, edit, and then edit again. I learned to research efficiently and to document my sources thoroughly. I had always been good at writing. Now I was beginning to understand the craft of writing. I was also beginning to understand that a bachelor's degree in anthropology has limited job opportunities.

 

Throughout the classes and excavation the bills still required payment. Over the years and a variety of office jobs, I picked up some critical writing skills. I wrote press releases, newsletters, ad copy, product descriptions, software reviews, and sales brochures. This practical, real-world experience was coupled with formal training through university classes in marketing, psychology, journalism, and creative writing. Along the way I also published a few poems and articles in some local, and some not-so-local, magazines.

I also helped my husband realize his dream of creating and running his own business. He designed and programmed a full-featured content management system for e-commerce websites. Through the years at WorldWide Merchant I became proficient at website design, content design, search engine optimization, flash animation, and e-commerce business practices.

 

I've been a computer nerd my entire life. My SEO skills have allowed me to enjoy the ever-growing market for quality web content writers. Simultaneously I'm pursuing a career as a freelance magazine writer. I've fully accepted, and given myself over to, my love of words. I hope that you enjoy them.