Splash! Here I go, launched into the blogosphere, full speed ahead, making waves along the way. The nautical allusions are fitting for this writer and editor; the bulk of my most recent work centers around my adventures on the sailing vessel Chip Ahoy. Boating is also a central theme in my upcoming novel “More Than You Think You Know,” (Beating Windward Press, 2015).

But that’s not all I do.

A long-time small-town newspaper reporter and editor turned freelancer, my passion for words – the proper words in the proper order – is as strong as my love for the sea. I write because I must. It’s always been that way. While I’ve developed specialties in both creative and technical writing genres, I continue to resist being shoehorned into a niche. Wherever there’s space to connect or correct, to polish prose until it shines, to play with words until they sing, you’ll find me, riding the crest with a smile on my face.

The freelance world is a vast and often lonely ocean. I miss the morning news meetings, the daily gripe sessions, the instantaneous reader feedback, the dark jokes and yes, even the endless deadlines. One of my English professors told me that I work best with a gun to my head. There’s some truth to that. Forget about the gun – let’s put it this way: one of my toughest editor-mentors had a penchant for breathing down my neck while drumming her fingers on the back of my chair. Worked every time.

So I’m casting out an open invitation to fellow writers, editors and readers. Welcome aboard. I’ll tell you my storm stories if you’ll tell me yours. Along the way, let’s share some knowledge and make some new connections. There’s no need to breathe down my neck, but I’d really like to know: What floats your boat?