Way back when...

I began my official writing career way back when I started working for Green Banner Publications.

It was during the summer of 1996 when I saw the ad in the paper announcing that the local newspaper was hiring a pre-press assistant. I had absolutely no idea what a pre-press assistant did, nor did I have any experience which would signify that I would be good for the job. The only thing I did know, was that if I got a job at the newspaper then I might eventually get the opportunity to show them what I could really do.

I filled out the application with a lot of aprehension, and submitted it to the local office the next day. Much to my surprise, I was called in for an interview. Equally to my surprise, I was being interviewed for a newswriters position which had currently come open.

Go me.

I did my little happy dance, and gleefully put in my notice at the local grocery store. I was moving on to bigger and better things, and I was optimistic about the possibilities that it had in store. It wasn't long, February of that same year, that I began writing the weekly column that appeared in our publications.

Those were the "cloud nine" days of my writing career, and in my mind I was doing all of the things I had always dreamed of.

Funny how dreams sometimes get lost in the midst of real life...

In 2000, I gave up writing for the paper so that I could take over the position as Production Manager. It was a far cry from my "dream job", but the hours meant that I could spend more time at home with my children.

The decision was worth making, but in the years since I've missed writing the weekly column that took a peek into the ordinary life of an ordinary person. And in the years since, I've come to realize that writing wasn't just something that I did, it was who I was.

It was from those very humble beginnings, stuck at a tiny desk in a dusty office typing up stories about chili suppers and community events, that I realized what I was meant to do...

Now it's time to do it.