Meet the face behind the posts...
Who am I?
Depending on the day, the context, or the relationship, the responses to 'who I am' will be different and considered.
For the purposes of this website - existential tensions aside - you should know that I love words, I love writing and I love stories. Package those together and you get a writer (in my spare time)
and a freelance content writer (in my day job).
If I were being interviewed, the next question would likely be: "Did you always want to be a writer?"
The answer to that would involve a little reflection. Consciously, I can't say I always wanted to be a writer, but perhaps subconsciously, the voice of a writer is always there and, just a like caterpillar, it is a process for the butterfly to emerge. (Most writers will appreciate this imagery).
When I was small (and Christmas trees were tall) my dream job was to work in a Toy Shop (an appropriate aspiration for a 6 year old). At 15, I wanted to study Beauty Therapy. At 16, I wanted to act in a Soap Opera. At 17, I wanted to be a Journalist and at 18, I applied to study Teaching. (A logical progression? I'll let you be the judge of that).
During my graduate studies, only History and English essay assignments would have qualified as serious writing tasks. But my journey as an English teacher slowly unlocked my love for literature, poetry and writing, motivating me to instil that passion in the students I taught. (Clearly a hit and miss when it comes to middle school learners).
It is here that Stephen King will quickly point out that "the most important things to remember about backstory are that (a) everyone has a history and (b) most of it isn’t very interesting." And that clearly includes mine. 🤦🏻♀️
What seriously unlocked my passion for writing (and my 'permission' to write) came in 2016 in the form of Creative Writing Course which emboldened my confidence to start my own personal blog. This became a stepping stone to me dipping my toes into a new career path in 2018 as a Content Writer at a Digital Performance Agency where I have grown in my content specialist skills and worked on a diverse portfolio of clients - locally and internationally. My content writing role has involved blog writing, copywriting, editing, repurposing content, developing a content marketing strategy, implementing SEO and defining a brand's identity and voice. (A far cry from my Toy Shop dream career!).
The Word Studio is simply the natural outflow of my growth, experience and industry learning curve and an opportunity to share my love for content writing (its challenges and nuances) with you in the hope that your own writing skills will soar to new heights and you will be inspired to keep writing and to keep writing well.
Leanne