Disclaimer: The saying “swears like a sailor” exists for a reason. There will be profanity on this blog, but I will endeavor to use less than 3 f-bombs per post – unless I’m feeling particularly piqued that day. If that’s not your cup of tea, then I’m not your poison. (Stay tuned for my rant on mixed metaphors and why I love them.)
I know what you’re thinking: Oh, great, another blogger. At least, that’s what I’m thinking. It’s probably why this blog page has said “coming soon” for over a year. There are a million resources on the internet and millions of voices sharing their experiences and stories. I can’t help but wonder what good throwing my voice into that maelstrom will do, but I’m doing it anyway. Who knows, maybe someone somewhere is looking for the niche answers I needed but couldn’t find, such as: writing while living with PTSD.
I’ll give it to you straight: a lot of my posts are going to talk about the same shit you can find on a thousand other blogs, but I still see these questions asked regularly. Such as, “How do I find places to submit?” or “How do I write dialogue that’s not utter rubbish?” or “I haven’t showered in four days and my landscaper keeps ringing my doorbell even though I’m pretending not to be home, what do I do?” Maybe the way I present the answers will click better for you than other articles you’ve read. And, hopefully, you’ll just like my brand of sass and prefer reading my blog.
So, who am I and what makes me qualified to give writing advice? For starters, my name is Teri. Nice to meet you. I’m in-or-around my late 30s and I’ve seen some shit. I’ve raised a child, deployed through Asia and the Middle East, went to college, dropped out, went to college again. I’ve got a degree in Math and another in English. I’ve worked as an electronics technician, research physicist, electrical engineer, bridal consultant (don’t ask, it was a weird time in my life), nurse’s assistant, legal assistant, content coordinator and editor for a lit mag, and fiction writer. It’s a strange mix, I know – long story short: I wanted to write but figured I should see a little life first, so I came to where I am by taking the long route. I don’t regret it because it means that I have a lot of experience in a wide variety of fields that have come together to give me a unique perspective that makes my work stand out. Oh, and I’m also a certified copy editor, that one is new.
You’ve probably figured out by now that I’m writing this in a casual voice. That’s because my hope here is to create a place that is comfortable and fun, where you enjoy learning about the craft of writing and learning about the act of balancing life with writing. I’m going to do my best to be honest and show you all the good and the bad that comes with this chosen lifestyle. I won’t dress it up pretty, I’ve done some difficult things in my life and being a writer is up there with the hardest of them. But I will try to soften it with a laugh when I can and show you the ways I’ve learned to deal with the challenges and celebrate the successes.
Things will probably get personal sometimes and, if you’re not interested in that crap, feel free to skip those posts. But writing is a personal thing and I don’t see a way to give honest advice about it while separating yourself from the experience. Where appropriate, I will include trigger warnings, though I don’t think that will be often. Mostly I’m just going to talk about the craft of writing.
So, here goes – I’ll be endeavoring to post twice weekly with advice about creative writing in general as well as more niche creative writing stuff that has do to with my personal circumstances. Grab your coffee or morning-scotch, things are about to get weird.
