what i do

Whenever I introduce myself as a freelance writer and editor these days, people always ask me what kinds of things I write.

When I began my freelancing career, I wrote for local newspapers and arts & entertainment magazines. My initial stories were about classical music concerts, although my published subjects eventually grew to encompass most of the arts - including dance, visual arts and film. I have two university degrees, and studied a total of three majors at university: Home Economics (clothing, textiles and design), Visual Arts, and Film Studies.

I'm also a classically-trained singer and former diehard balletomane (ballet fan). I tired of being a culture vulture a long time ago, but I can still hang with that crowd, and converse intelligently about most things cultural.

My friends call me a walking encyclopedia. They howl with laughter when I tell them that I actually (really!) used to read encyclopedias for fun as a child. (Yes, I'm a freak.) For years I was also a magazine fiend, and I still have a huge collection of back issues of many periodicals, including four decades of National Geographics. I seem to know a little bit about almost everything.

Early on, I became interested in copywriting for musicians. I represented and/or managed two classical performers in London, Ontario for several years, and loved creating their promotional bios, media kits, and other publicity materials. I felt really gratified when one of my very first media releases garnered an in-depth interview in the local newspaper for the pianist I represented. The feedback from the reporter who received my media release was, "She got my attention."

I still enjoy freelance writing for periodicals, and these days I'm most interested in eco-friendly and professional organizing topics. My five blogs are a wonderful creative outlet for me. I've even done some manuscript editing. But my passion continues to be promotional copywriting. I love helping people - generally small businesses - present their best faces to the world. I want others to shine.

I have a knack for spotting copy errors and "massaging" existing copy so that it looks clean and sounds more professional than the original. It's what I do well.

I also love interviewing people. I've found that when I can get someone talking about his or her passions, I am invariably moved and inspired by the stories I hear. (When I first began freelancing, I told a friend that if I could just spend my life interviewing people without having to write the stories afterwards, I would have my dream job.)

But I CAN write, and I do. And I'm thankful for the opportunity.