Why now?

Why this blog? Why now?
I am a freelance writer and have long known that in order to make it in this crazy writing world, I need to let people know that I am here. That is what this blog is all about.
I have been half-attempting this freelance writing thing for about ten years now. And frankly have been about a quarter successful. You see I loved my previous career. I was in wildlife biology and the course my career was taking me was more and more into public outreach- teaching the public about the importance of wildlife and their habitats. Life intervened, my husband received a job transfer, situations changed and I found myself struggling with the question, "what do I want to do with my life?" And I struggled with it mightily- it took me awhile to let go of my past career.
And yet the signs have all been pointing me to writing.
1. I have always loved words, ever since I was little girl. The dictionary was one of my favorite books, seriously. I was amazed that some of our words came from other languages.
2. I received my high school's language arts award- my name might still be on a dusty plaque somewhere in the halls (or in storage). I loved reading, learning about new cultures and our English teacher had weekly writing boot camps.
3. I loved all of science and had a hard time settling on any one science in particular. When I went to college, I was debating between majoring in astronomy or zoology. I chose zoology because of my deep love of animals. And yet, when I went into wildlife biology I was never a strong research scientist, my strength was in teaching about science.
4. I enjoy each part of writing: the research, the struggle to find the right words (kind of enjoy) and then the fun editing part where bad writing (hopefully)turns into something of which I can be proud.
5. I am constantly amazed by life- around every corner is something fascinating to learn about.
Marketing is where I struggle, and is why it has taken me so long, really, to fully grasp this form of work. It took a health problem (you can read my personal blog to get more on that)to kick me in the pants to see that freelance writing is really how I want to expend my energy. I feel so thankful that I have the ability to concentrate on the work that I truly love.
I have lemons on my wallpaper partly because I love lemons- they brighten a room, they smell so fresh- and partly because I need to embrace the adage, "when you are given lemons, make lemonade." I love lemonade, too.