|
5. Writing has a mysterious, alchemical quality, and words have a power that requires respect.
The process of getting those first words down can be tough, and I empathize with writers when it comes to staring down that blank screen. But it is also a fascinating and mysterious alchemy--the alchemy of words--and once I've got them down, I love working with them until they get as close as possible to capturing the essence of what I'm trying to say. I bring that same fascination with the process to my editing.
And even though I have worked primarily as an editor, over the years I've had opportunities to write deeply personal essays that have appeared in a number of publications, including Canadian Living, Western Living, and the Globe and Mail. Click on the "more" link below to read samples of my essays: The New Normal (EAT magazine essay) Reflections on a pandemic spring ... more An Exquisite Absence of Stimulus (Globe and Mail essay) Silence has a way of coaxing us away from constant doing and into a more salubrious state of “sitting quietly, doing nothing,” as the famous Zen poem recommends ... more Today’s Home Journal (Western Living column) Welcome to snap, crackle, pop psychology Anais Nin-style ... more A Day at the Cottage (BC Hydro contract magazine essay) The day begins like this: sun sparkling on a dew-tinged lawn ... more The Greening of the Kitchen (EAT magazine feature) Putting commonsense and buying power behind the greening of the busiest room in your house ... more Healing Ourselves, Healing the Planet (Mindful Word magazine essay) ... more A Deer’s Tale (Canadian Living personal essay) A spiritual lesson in being with what is ... more |
