15 Sep, 2009
Writing. Leaping. Landing.
Posted by andrea tomkins in: Publishing/writing/career stuff
I’ve been looking at this photo today. It was posted almost exactly a year ago. It’s not me in that photo, but I love looking at it all the same because I DID THIS. I jumped from a wooden scaffold into the big blue void, wearing nothing but a harness and a pair of worn work gloves (okay, I was fully clothed too) but my point is that I DID IT. And I lived to tell the tale. And I am a better person because of it.
–
I’ve been thinking about how to write this post for weeks. I’ve been hinting at a big project and I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get to this point. As a gal who has an endless supply of words for a lot of different things I have found myself fumbling for the right ones this time.
I know a lot of you will be happy and excited for me and I wanted to share this with you when the time was right.
First, let’s get something out of the way. I’m not pregnant. ;)
A few months ago I received an email asking whether I’d be interested in a different kind of writing project.
I was. She and I met. I accepted the challenge. The end.
Ok, well, not really.
That out-of-the-blue email came from a successful and well-known Ottawa-area woman with a story to tell. She is, in a word, amazing. And passionate (oops, that’s two words, isn’t it?). She has asked me to ghostwrite a memoir based on a unique aspect of her life. Our publishing model is a bit offbeat. She’s paying me. We’re self-publishing. She has an audience who’d be interested to hear more about her but at the same time her goal isn’t to top the bestseller lists. This is a bit of a relief because I don’t know the first thing about finding a publisher.
I am honoured, thrilled and honoured, that this person is trusting me with her story. I asked her if she was interviewing other freelance writers in Ottawa. She said she wasn’t. (!)
I can’t tell you more than this. Everything is still floating around in my head and not quite developed enough to see the light of day. One of my ideas is to create a spin-off blog which I will use to hash out some ideas as well as document the process as I go along.
I am certain that many of you will find her story just as compelling and inspirational as I do. I hope you read along and ask questions and give us your feedback as we take this journey together.
As I write this I realize I’m not sure if she reads this blog.
I’m not going to reveal her name just yet. I think I’ll hold on to that one for awhile.
I’ve long used the line “effervescent writer seeks publishing adventure” as part of this website to advertise my freelance writing in a roundabout way. SavvyMom, my bits for Ottawa Magazine, script writing for various projects, my on-again-off-agains for my little local neighborhood paper … all have been great adventures in their own right. I’ll still be freelancing, but this is a little different. I can hardly believe it. I.Am.So.Lucky.
I’ve read this post over and over. I hope it doesn’t sound too braggy. I am not entirely comfortable tooting my own horn, but someone once said I should feel free to toot away every once in awhile. Besides, I just wouldn’t feel right moving ahead without posting about it here, you know what I mean?
Okay. Off to get ready for a photoshoot this morning.
