Word Whore

I am a freelance writer. I've been peddling the Great Big Alphabet since about 2003, right about the time we had Finn and I decided that being with my son was a bit more important than running copies in suburban Kansas.

Don't get me wrong--I liked my job and I loved my boss. (Probably the best boss I've ever had. Very intuitive, very smart.) But there was just this one little nugget of xeroxin' not-fun in the job description, and each time I confronted the copier--at least once a week for several hours at a time--the guilt just got overwhelming. Finally, I had to throw in the toner and head home, fingers crossed that I could make a go of writing for a living.

As any freelancer will tell you, there are ups and downs, feast or famine. It's oftentimes a lonely, quiet world (except for the ambiance provided by screaming toddler).

But it's a challenge. Every job, whether it's a marketing brochure, newsletter, magazine article, annual report or Web site, is a puzzle and a little piece of poetry. And smabmouth love her some puzzlin' and poetryin'.

I say all this as a way of introducing my newest label--Lanced and Loaded--and as an explanation for some bloggin' to come, wherein (there it is) I will discuss the supreme fun of the working-in-pajamas life and offer you, or dear buyer of the Great Big Alphabet, some suggestions for how to raise and nurture your very own freelance writer.