HOW DID WE GET HERE, ANYWAY? (My biography.)
Do you ever stop and think how you wound up in the exact spot you're in right this second? I think about it often and marvel at how the choices we make in life steer us in directions we would never dream of. I wanted nothing more than to be a singer. I tried it and sang in a couple of bands but I had no confidence. My voice was passable enough but I was painfully shy. (Speculation as to why I'll save for another day.) Instead I hung around bands and musicians and worked jobs that started out as interesting but quickly grew boring.
The only thing I loved to do was read. Books were my escape from reality. I could be invisible when I was reading, no one could see me, no one could bother me, no one could make any demands of me. Then one day at one of the aforementioned boring jobs a fellow employee said "You know, you'd make a great court reporter." It piqued my interest and I decided to steer my life in yet another direction and go back to school. I loved school, excelled in my studies, and was very close to graduating when I decided to quit. Here's my deep, dark secret: I quit because I'm shy. I was also going through a divorce that played a factor in my decision to leave, but the real reason is I could not bear to think about going to a different lawyer's office or courtroom every day and sitting in front of strangers, furiously pecking away at my little machine. When called upon to read back in class I felt sick to my stomach and tried to hide under the table.
An unexpected door opened to me at that point in my life. After classes each day I worked at a court reporting office assembling court transcripts for delivery. When scanning pages I caught errors that I brought to the attention of the reporters. They asked me to proof their work for them and paid me a paltry sum to do it. I was thrilled; reading was the ultimate dream job for me! I soon learned that even though I adored the English language and possessed quite an extensive vocabulary, proofing legal transcripts was in a whole other realm. Besides knowing the basic rules of writing and punctuation you had to know a lot of medical and legal jargon. You had to know the statutes and formats for court transcripts. It took years to perfect my skill but I believe today I am one of the best proofreaders out there. (Or maybe not; it doesn't matter.)
After almost a dozen years of proofreading the most technical stuff imaginable (rocket scientists, neurosurgeons, bioengineers) as well as a daily dose of slip-and-falls and workers' comp, I felt myself beginning to get that burned-out feeling. I felt restless. I felt like my inner child was starving for creativity. Another strange twist of fate happened: At the local wine bar where I hang out I was approached by two young businessmen with an offer to write website content for several Internet sites. I was swimming in uncharted waters but thought, why not? The experience was difficult but rewarding. I will be forever grateful to them for planting the writing seed in me.
I began talking to my hairstylist about my interest in writing. Turns out she's an English major, blogger, and writer herself. She invited me to a Bookbuilders meeting where I met "real" writers, publishers, an indexer, and fellow proofreaders. One of the writers told me about a book that I believe anyone who wants to be a writer should read, "Stein on Writing." Another writer sent me valuable podcasts on writing style. I have to tell you, after attending my first Bookbuilders meeting I was flying high. I felt like I had come home.
"Karma" or instances of fate that assure me I'm going in the right direction: At same wine bar as mentioned above (I love that place!) I met a published author who was kind enough to read my very first foray into fiction. He gave me valuable advice and even let me proof the first chapter of his new novel. Most recently my long-lost best friend "found" me on Facebook and guess what? He too is a published author who generously took the time to give me his philosophy on writing. I am beyond thrilled to have reunited with him and I take it as another sign that fate is leading me in the right direction.
Recap: How I got here, where I am right this second, sitting in my shabby little office writing my very first blog. Being creative but too shy to unleash anything. Reading for escape and unknowingly further educating myself with every book I inhaled. Reading for money and educating myself on technical content and structure. Receiving the unexpected opportunity to write, and the world being illuminated in a whole new way.
Last thoughts: Never have any regrets. I could have traveled, singing with a band, or pursued a degree in music. I could have become a court reporter and made a lot more money than I make as a proofreader. Instead my shyness led me to books, which led me to proofreading, which led me to writing. Everything happens for a reason. Follow your dreams but don't be afraid if your dreams change. I believe in magic. I believe our inner child can make extraordinary things happen just by wanting.
The only thing I loved to do was read. Books were my escape from reality. I could be invisible when I was reading, no one could see me, no one could bother me, no one could make any demands of me. Then one day at one of the aforementioned boring jobs a fellow employee said "You know, you'd make a great court reporter." It piqued my interest and I decided to steer my life in yet another direction and go back to school. I loved school, excelled in my studies, and was very close to graduating when I decided to quit. Here's my deep, dark secret: I quit because I'm shy. I was also going through a divorce that played a factor in my decision to leave, but the real reason is I could not bear to think about going to a different lawyer's office or courtroom every day and sitting in front of strangers, furiously pecking away at my little machine. When called upon to read back in class I felt sick to my stomach and tried to hide under the table.
An unexpected door opened to me at that point in my life. After classes each day I worked at a court reporting office assembling court transcripts for delivery. When scanning pages I caught errors that I brought to the attention of the reporters. They asked me to proof their work for them and paid me a paltry sum to do it. I was thrilled; reading was the ultimate dream job for me! I soon learned that even though I adored the English language and possessed quite an extensive vocabulary, proofing legal transcripts was in a whole other realm. Besides knowing the basic rules of writing and punctuation you had to know a lot of medical and legal jargon. You had to know the statutes and formats for court transcripts. It took years to perfect my skill but I believe today I am one of the best proofreaders out there. (Or maybe not; it doesn't matter.)
After almost a dozen years of proofreading the most technical stuff imaginable (rocket scientists, neurosurgeons, bioengineers) as well as a daily dose of slip-and-falls and workers' comp, I felt myself beginning to get that burned-out feeling. I felt restless. I felt like my inner child was starving for creativity. Another strange twist of fate happened: At the local wine bar where I hang out I was approached by two young businessmen with an offer to write website content for several Internet sites. I was swimming in uncharted waters but thought, why not? The experience was difficult but rewarding. I will be forever grateful to them for planting the writing seed in me.
I began talking to my hairstylist about my interest in writing. Turns out she's an English major, blogger, and writer herself. She invited me to a Bookbuilders meeting where I met "real" writers, publishers, an indexer, and fellow proofreaders. One of the writers told me about a book that I believe anyone who wants to be a writer should read, "Stein on Writing." Another writer sent me valuable podcasts on writing style. I have to tell you, after attending my first Bookbuilders meeting I was flying high. I felt like I had come home.
"Karma" or instances of fate that assure me I'm going in the right direction: At same wine bar as mentioned above (I love that place!) I met a published author who was kind enough to read my very first foray into fiction. He gave me valuable advice and even let me proof the first chapter of his new novel. Most recently my long-lost best friend "found" me on Facebook and guess what? He too is a published author who generously took the time to give me his philosophy on writing. I am beyond thrilled to have reunited with him and I take it as another sign that fate is leading me in the right direction.
Recap: How I got here, where I am right this second, sitting in my shabby little office writing my very first blog. Being creative but too shy to unleash anything. Reading for escape and unknowingly further educating myself with every book I inhaled. Reading for money and educating myself on technical content and structure. Receiving the unexpected opportunity to write, and the world being illuminated in a whole new way.
Last thoughts: Never have any regrets. I could have traveled, singing with a band, or pursued a degree in music. I could have become a court reporter and made a lot more money than I make as a proofreader. Instead my shyness led me to books, which led me to proofreading, which led me to writing. Everything happens for a reason. Follow your dreams but don't be afraid if your dreams change. I believe in magic. I believe our inner child can make extraordinary things happen just by wanting.
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