Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 22:08:45 +0000 From: Tracy Zollinger Turner Subject: [WRITERS] Sub: bio I guess I was supposed to submit a bio when I joined...? And, well, I'm still new, so here it goes: I'm a 28-year-old freelance writer, editor (+more) living in Columbus, Ohio, with my fiance, my dog, and a very jiggy kitten. I started tapping away on a typewriter when I was in grade school and I guess I haven't stopped since. If you want to read an extended ramble about the career and aspirations of a wanna-be-novelist-gone-school beat reporter-then-alternative newspaper writer-finally-freelancer, you can visit the bio on my web page: http://home.earthlink.net/~tzt/whois.html As I say in that piece, I love the alchemy of writing as much as I do the craft itself, personally and professionally. I joined this list because this period in my career is odd, terrible and wonderful. I'm grateful to be making a decent living as a wordsmith, but I'm still building trust with a pile of new editors, which limits my ability to write about the things I'd like to far more than being a staff writer did. Mind you, I'm happier and healthier and less overworked than I was then, but I miss being able to yell at a colleague over the cubicle when I want to double check a style rule or when I'm not sure if a metaphor is too hackneyed. I'm also entering a new phase as a writer. After doing what feels like intensive research for novel characters over the last 6-7 years, it's time to put those things down on paper. I aim to complete my first novel before I turn 30 in July 2000, even if it's awful. It feels good to find a group that seems to be fascinated both by writing and discussing all kinds of other things to keep its participants' minds stimulated. That's it for now! If you want to see my whole web page, it's here, and the paint is still drying: http://home.earthlink.net/~tzt Any feedback would be SO warmly appreciated, I'll babysit your children or give you a sticker or kiss you or something. Thanks! TZT